Mid-season in the NFL | Halfway Honor Roll

Nine of the 18 weeks of the season are behind us in the NFL. Here is how the various individual honors races take shape in the middle of the course.

Miguel bujold
Press

PLAYER PER EXCELLENCE

LAMAR JACKSON (quarterback, Baltimore Ravens)

It was all in all a fairly easy choice … before the loss of the Ravens on Thursday night in Miami. Jackson and the Ravens offense were muzzled most of the game by the Dolphins’ defense. But Jackson’s play had been mind-blowing so far, so it’s still our choice. The 24-year-old is fourth in the NFL for rushing yards with 639, which is mind-boggling from a quarterback. It’s Jackson’s progress as a passer, however, that makes him such an exceptionally good player. He’s heading into his first season of over 4,000 yards, when his personal high is 3,127. He had pulled it off in 2019, the year he won his first league MVP.

Honorable mentions: Kyler Murray (Arizona Cardinals), Aaron Rodgers (Green Bay Packers) and Matthew Stafford (Los Angeles Rams)

BEST OFFENSIVE PLAYER

COOPER KUPP (wide end, Los Angeles Rams)

Over the years, the MVP title has essentially become the title of best quarterback. No less than 13 of the last 14 winners have been quarterbacks, with running back Adrian Peterson the only exception in 2012. It would therefore be fair for the title of best offensive player to be awarded to players other than passers, such as this has been the case for the past two years (Michael Thomas in 2019 and Derrick Henry in 2020). At the moment, Cooper Kupp is clearly the favorite in this category. In 9 games, Kupp caught 74 passes for 1,019 yards and scored 10 touchdowns. He and Robert Woods were already one of the best receiving pairs on the tour and now Odell Beckham Jr. will join them.

Honorable mentions: Derrick Henry (Tennessee Titans), Ja’Marr Chase (Cincinnati Bengals) and Jonathan Stewart (Indianapolis Colts)

BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER

TJ WATT (outside linebacker, Pittsburgh Steelers)

A runner-up in the past two seasons, it is assumed that Watt would win favor with those who vote if he gets into a heated fight. At the moment, Watt and Myles Garrett are the two main contenders for the title of best defensive player. Garrett had 12 sacks while Watt has 11.5 on his record, but the Browns defensive end played 2 more games. Watt also caused three fumbles and picked up two more, while Garrett hasn’t done either since the schedule began. Watt knocked down four assists against just one for Garrett. In his second season, Trevon Diggs had seven interceptions but allowed several long plays in pass cover.

Honorable mentions: Myles Garrett (Cleveland Browns), Kevin Byard (Tennessee Titans) and Trevon Diggs (Dallas Cowboys)

RECRUIT BY EXCELLENCE IN ATTACK

JA’MARR CHASE (wide end, Cincinnati Bengals)

Chase is currently third in the league in passing yards with 835 and has already scored 7 touchdowns. His average of 19 yards per catch is the best in the league among players who have caught 25 or more passes. The Bengals chose to ignore their most pressing need by not going for an offensive lineman with the fifth pick in the draft. They obviously made the right decision. After a tough training camp and preseason games, Chase has been dominant since the very first game of the season.

Honorable mentions: Mac Jones (New England Patriots), Kyle Pitts (Atlanta Falcons) and Najee Harris (Pittsburgh Steelers)

DEFENSE RECRUIT BY EXCELLENCE

MICAH PARSONS (inside linebacker, Dallas Cowboys)

The most remarkable thing about Parsons’ case is that he was used everywhere in his first professional season. Sometimes inside linebacker, sometimes defensive end, Parsons is extremely versatile. He’s had 38 solo tackles, including 5 quarterback sacks, this season and is expected to lead the Cowboys defense for many years to come. Because he had chosen not to play with the Penn State University Nittany Lions due to COVID-19 in 2020, Parsons was drafted later than expected last April. It was the Cowboys who took advantage by selecting him at the 12^e rank.

Honorable mentions: Eric Stokes (Green Bay Packers), Nick Bolton (Kansas City Chiefs) and Asante Samuel Jr. (Los Angeles Chargers)

HEAD COACH OF THE YEAR

KLIFF KINGSBURY, Arizona Cardinals

When they bowed to the Green Bay Packers, who were playing without their top three receivers, two weeks ago, we wondered if the Cardinals were not going to collapse like they did the last year. In 2020, they were 5-2 before losing 6 of their last 9 meetings. However, led by their reserve quarterback, Colt McCoy, the Cards easily defeated the 49ers in Santa Clara last Sunday, demonstrating by the very fact that they were a more resilient and tenacious team than in the past. There was talk of Kingsbury’s job security ahead of the start of the season, but if his side can get past the Los Angeles Rams atop the division at the finish line, his name will instead be part of the conversation for the title of best head coach.

Honorable mentions: Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers), Sean Payton (New Orleans Saints) and Arthur Smith (Atlanta Falcons)

BACK OF THE YEAR

DAK PRESCOTT (quarterback, Dallas Cowboys)

If he’s having a big second half of the season, Prescott could also be a MVP contender. However, he is fortunate to be extremely well surrounded in the Cowboys attack, which does not favor him for such an honor. But as for the comeback of the year, the race should be between Prescott and Burrow. With the exception of last Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos, Prescott has been brilliant in the first half of the season. Despite the horrific ankle injury he suffered early last season, the Cowboys quarterback hasn’t changed his style of play.

Honorable mentions: Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), Derwin James (Los Angeles Chargers) and Carson Wentz (Indianapolis Colts)

Three matches to follow

Cleveland v. New England, Sunday, 1 p.m.

Bill Belichick continues to build his squad the way he likes them: a collection of versatile defense players; a group of recipients who are all equal or so; a quarterback who makes good decisions. Suddenly, the Bills are unsure of anything in the East American. It may be said that it was absurd to claim that the Browns were better without Odell Beckham Jr., the numbers largely support those who believed him.

Seattle v. Green Bay, Sunday, 4:25 p.m.

We saw how important Russell Wilson was to the success of the Seahawks over the past month. If Wilson had missed the entire season, Pete Carroll’s side would have been in the game to get the first pick in the next draft. Healed of his finger injury, Wilson will return to the game at Lambeau Field. As for Aaron Rodgers (COVID-19), he remains an uncertain case as of this writing.

Kansas City v. Las Vegas, Sunday, 8:15 p.m.

A week after the tragedy involving Henry Ruggs III, who was fired by the Raiders after causing the death of a 23-year-old young woman while driving drunk and at extreme speed, it is the cornerback Damon Arnette who was released by the team. Arnette was filmed threatening a person with a gun. Both Ruggs III and Arnette were first-round picks for the Raiders in 2020. Any intradivisional games in the West American, like the one between the Chiefs and the Raiders, will be of great importance in the second half of the game. season.