NFL Midseason Awards: Matthew Stafford Takes Home the MVP & More
NFL Expert Matt O'Leary makes his midseason picks for the NFL Awards including MVP, Super Bowl winner, and more.
Matt O'Leary - November 12, 2021, 3:20 PM EST
4 minutesNFL Midseason Awards: Matthew Stafford Takes Home the MVP & More
We’ve reached the halfway point of the NFL season. Well, not exactly since there’s an odd number of weeks it’s not exactly the halfway point anymore but with teams eight or nine games into the season we’re fairly close to getting a good enough sample size to make some predictions.
I’ll be making predictions for some of the biggest NFL awards this year, including MVP, Offensive rookie of the year, coach of the year, and more. Without further delay, let’s get into it.
MVP: Matthew Stafford +800
It’s been an unbelievable year for Matthew Stafford out in Los Angeles. He’s leading the league in passing yards, rating, and QBR with 23 touchdowns to his name already. For reference, he had 26 in Detroit last season. The Rams offense has been dominant, and a huge reason for their glow-up is the obvious improvement at the Quarterback position. The Stafford and Sean McVay hype is proving to be right and I think it ends with an MVP season for Stafford.
Top 5 MVP Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Tom Brady | +350 |
Josh Allen | +500 |
Kyler Murray | +600 |
Matthew Stafford | +800 |
Dak Prescott | +1200 |
Super Bowl: Rams +800
I know, this sounds like a chalk answer now but they were my preseason pick and I’m sticking with it. Although my pick out of the AFC (the Chiefs) isn’t looking so hot. Anyway, they are clearly going all in this year and I think it pays off. I think Sean McVay is the best coach in the NFC and from top to bottom this is the deepest roster in the NFC. Sure, Tampa Bay is excellent but they already proved back in Week 3 that they can hang with the Bucs. Hopefully, Odell doesn’t get target hungry and ruin the team chemistry that they have right now.
Top 5 Super Bowl Winner Odds
Team | Odds |
|---|---|
Tampa Bay Buccaneers | +600 |
Buffalo Bills | +650 |
Los Angeles Rams | +800 |
Arizona Cardinals | +900 |
Green Bay Packers | +1100 |
Click Here For Full Super Bowl Odds
Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt +350
This is a race between T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett. Right now, Garrett has the more impressive numbers with the extra game but if you go on a per-game basis, Watt has more sacks, QB hits, and tackles for a loss on a per-game basis. In seven games he has an impressive 11.5 sacks on the season, it doesn’t get much more dominant than that.
Top 5 Defensive Player Of the Year Award Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Myles Garrett | +300 |
T.J. Watt | +350 |
Trevon Diggs | +1000 |
Aaron Donald | +1100 |
Jalen Ramsey | +3000 |
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase -140
I get it, it’s not necessarily sexy to pick the favorite but in this case, I don’t think you have a choice. Chase has 835 yards and seven touchdowns in nine games played, he’s pacing out to a 1,578 yard season with 13 touchdowns to go along with it. I’ll admit, I was team Penei Sewell for the Bengals but man, Ja’Marr Chase has been unreal for them all year long.
Top 5 Offensive Rookie of the Year Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Ja'Marr Chase | -140 |
Mac Jones | +350 |
Najee Harris | +1200 |
Kyle Pitts | +3500 |
Elijah Mitchell | +4000 |
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons -120
I know, another chalk answer but once again do we really have a good alternative? So far, Parsons has looked every bit the part for the Dallas Cowboys. In eight games he has 52 tackles, five sacks, and 10 tackles for a loss. He’s been disruptive in all facets of the game and looks every bit worthy of the 12th overall selection from this past draft class.
Top 5 Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Micah Parsons | -120 |
Jayson Oweh | +1000 |
Azeez Ojullari | +1100 |
Patrick Surtain II | +1200 |
Asante Samuel Jr | +1400 |
Comeback Player of the Year: Dak Prescott -400
There is literally nobody else on this list who can win it other than Dak, especially after everything he’s gone through over the last year or so. In seven games this year, Dak has 18 passing touchdowns a career-high 69.4 completion percentage, an 9.0 yards per attempt, and a 108.7 rating. It looks like he hasn’t missed a step after laying just five games last year before his injury. Even though Joe Burrow has been great, he’s nowhere in the same stratosphere in competing for this award.
Top 5 Comeback Player of the Year Award Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Dak Prescott | -400 |
Joe Burrow | +800 |
Carson Wentz | +2000 |
Derwin James | +3000 |
Nick Bosa | +3500 |
Click Here for Full Comeback Player of the Year Award Odds
Coach of the Year: Kliff Kingsbury +450
I mean this one just makes too much sense right? The Cardinals, who are currently 8-1 matching their win total from last year, are the best team in the league right now. They have the number two offense and number three defense in the league. The leap that Kyler Murray took this year is also going to fall onto Kingsbury’s shoulders as well. The hype was real with Kliff as well.
Top 5 Coach of the Year Award Odds
Name | Odds |
|---|---|
Kliff Kingsbury | +450 |
Brandon Staley | +750 |
Mike Vrabel | +900 |
Mike McCarthy | +1400 |
Sean McDermott | +1600 |
