NFL Midseason Awards: Joe Burrow Or Josh Allen For MVP? Kenneth Walker Or JSN For OPOY?

The Cincinnati Bengals are getting the best version of Joe Burrow since he led them to a Super Bowl appearance after the 2021 season. That season, the Super Bowl was held at SoFi Stadium. And five years later, it’s back in Inglewood, giving Burrow a chance to return to the place where his Bengals lost a close game to the Los Angeles Rams. But if the Bengals make it back to SoFi Stadium this time around, Burrow might enter the Super Bowl as the season’s best quarterback. He could very well win his first MVP this year, leading the league in completion percentage (74%), passer rating (114.8) and passing touchdowns (23) as the 2026 season reaches the halfway mark. Burrow is also second in passing yards (2,386). Putting up strong numbers is nothing new for Burrow. This year, though, he’s doing it cleanly and efficiently. Burrow’s been sacked just 15 times and has six interceptions on the year, so the Bengals are doing a good job of protecting their quarterback, who’s dealt with injury issues over the last two years. Along with his elite play and strong protection, Burrow has the best receiver combo in the league in Ja’Marr Chase and Tee Higgins, who make his job easier with the amazing catches they can make, particularly in the red zone, and the things they can make happen after the catch. Chase and Higgins have combined for 1,405 receiving yards and 13 touchdowns this season. Only Green Bay’s Matthew Golden and Christian Watson have more (1,662 and 12 touchdowns). On top of that, running back Chase Brown finally looked explosive in Cincinnati’s win over the Atlanta Falcons in Spain last week. And maybe there’s more help to come for Burrow. Cincinnati has been linked to Indianapolis Colts star running back Jonathan Taylor ahead of the trade deadline. That addition would be a huge boost to the Bengals’ run game, and it would serve as just the latest splash Cincinnati has made to help Burrow out. The Bengals have benefited from improved play defensively with the offseason additions of defensive tackles Dexter Lawrence and Jonathan Allen, along with edge rusher Boye Mafe and safety Byron Cook, so that Burrow and the offense don’t need to do as much of the heavy lifting. Still, Burrow is on the same heater this year that reigning league MVP Matthew Stafford experienced last season. If you recall, Stafford led most major statistical categories and barely eked out a win over young up-and-comer Drake Maye. Burrow has done that so far this year, and at 6-2, he has the Bengals firmly in the mix to win the AFC. And after Monday night, Burrow is the favorite to win MVP. He holds +210 odds to win the award on DraftKings Sportsbook. That’s a slight edge over Buffalo Bills star Josh Allen, while San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy and Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love aren’t too far behind. At the midpoint of the season, here’s a look at where I think things stand for the top candidates for every major award. Offensive Player Of The Year Jahmyr Gibbs tops the league in scrimmage yards (1,132 scrimmage yards) this season and is tied for the league lead with Kenneth Walker III in scrimmage touchdowns (11), playing a key role in the Detroit Lions’ 6-2 start. Walker was in first when we did this exercise a few weeks ago, but he was shut down by two of the NFL’s top defenses (Seattle Seahawks, Denver Broncos) since then. He bounced back with a 102-yard rushing performance in a win over the New York Jets on Sunday, as he ranks second in the league in rushing (872 yards) and yards per carry (5.5). Jaylen Warren has been a revelation for the Pittsburgh Steelers, serving as the engine for that offense and Aaron Rodgers’ security blanket. He’s rushed for 704 yards on a league-leading 5.9 yards per carry. However, Jaxon Smith-Njigba remains the most dominant receiver in the league, leading all receivers in receptions (71), receiving yards (1,036) and receiving touchdowns (9) as he continues to account for much of the Seattle Seahawks’ offense. Odds to win Offensive Player of the Year: Jahmyr Gibbs: +165Jaxon Smith-Njigba: +220Kenneth Walker III: +450Ja’Marr Chase: +1500Bijan Robinson: +1500Josh Allen: +2200CeeDee Lamb: +2500 Defensive Player Of The Year A pair of veteran linebackers deserve shutouts here. Ernest Jones IV leads the Seahawks in tackles, has three sacks and an interception this season for one of the best defenses in the league. The same goes for linebacker Alex Singleton, who leads the league in tackles with 107 and has two sacks for the Broncos. All T.J. Watt does is make plays for a Pittsburgh squad led by the defense. Watt is tied for fourth in the league in sacks (7.5) and has an interception, forced fumble, fumble recovery and three pass breakups to his credit. Fred Warner is having one of his best seasons for a surprisingly stingy San Francisco defense that’s holding teams to 19.5 points per game. Warner is tied for eighth in the NFL in tackles (77), has three pass breakups and five forced fumbles. We go with Will Anderson at No. 1, though. He leads the league in sacks (9.5) and is second in quarterback pressures (44), as the Texans have played better defensively as of late. Odds to win Defensive Player of the Year: Will Anderson Jr.: +150Fred Warner: +600Jeffery Simmons: +800Dallas Turner: +900Greg Rousseau: +1000T.J. Watt: +1100Aidan Hutchinson: +1300Dexter Lawrence II: +2000 Coach Of The Year Sean Payton deserves props for showing his team how to win close games and getting the most out of a quarterback with a limited skill set in Bo Nix. Taking over play-caller duties from Davis Webb in Week 5 hasn’t made much of a difference statistically, but the Broncos sit at 7-2 with an opportunity to get back to the AFC title game. No one deserves their flowers more than Mike McCarthy, who most thought shouldn’t get a chance to return to his hometown to lead the Steelers. McCarthy has done a nice job of navigating the prickly Aaron Rodgers and built a blueprint for winning, much like the previous Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin. But the best coaching job has been done by Kyle Shanahan, who has dealt with a series of distracting off-the-field issues (including his own serious car accident) this year and has persevered. And despite the 49ers’ laundry list of long-term injuries, Shanahan has arguably made San Francisco the best team in the league this year as it enters the season’s halfway point at 7-1. Odds to win Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh: +145Ben Johnson: +300Kyle Shanahan: +550Todd Monken: +1000Liam Coen: +1400Kevin O’Connell: +1800Joe Brady: +1800Klint Kubiak: +2000 Offensive Rookie Of The Year Kaelon Black has done a nice job as a change-of-pace back for Christian McCaffrey, posting 303 rushing yards and a score, while averaging 4.5 yards per carry for the 49ers this year. While more was expected from Notre Dame products Jeremiyah Love and Jadarian Price, Black has stayed healthy for the most part and been productive in his role as a complementary back. A few receivers are in contention for the award as well. Cleveland Browns wide receiver K.C. Concepcion and Tennessee Titans wide receiver Carnell Tate are tied for the league lead in receptions among rookies with 37. Denzel Boston, though, leads all rookie pass catchers in receiving yards (507) and receiving touchdowns (3). The Washington product averages an impressive 15.8 yards per reception this year as well, which ranks 10th in the league. Odds to win Offensive Rookie of the Year:Denzel Boston: +370Carnell Tate: +425KC Concepcion: +600Jonah Coleman: +600Caleb Douglas: +1000 Defensive Rookie Of The Year Just like with Defensive Player of the Year, there are a couple of linebackers who deserve a mention. Titans linebacker Anthony Hill leads all rookies with 82 combined tackles. Miami Dolphins linebacker Jacob Rodriguez (79) is only three behind him. The versatile Sonny Styles is playing up to his billing as a top-10 draft pick with 67 combined tackles, nine quarterback pressures and a sack. His former Ohio State teammate, Arvell Reese, is quickly developing into one of the best defensive players on the Giants’ NFC East-leading squad. Reese has 4.5 sacks and 66 combined tackles this season. Reese is right behind another player in New York, though, in the Defensive Rookie of the Year race. David Bailey leads all rookies with 7.5 sacks this season. His most notable came on Sunday, when he crashed into Patrick Mahomes and forced a fumble. He also roughed up the Chiefs’ star a bit on that play, as Mahomes is dealing with an elbow injury. Odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year: Arvell Reese: +100David Bailey: +250Jacob Rodriguez: +800Sonny Styles: +800Gabe Jacas: +1500Dillon Thieneman: +2000 MVP Ascending players like Jordan Love, Trevor Lawrence and Caleb Williams deserve a mention here as younger players threatening to break into the elite group as regular MVP-worthy candidates. But Purdy, Allen and Burrow stand out as the top three for me at this point of the season. Purdy has only been sacked eight times all season and expertly executes a balanced San Francisco offense directed by Shanahan. He’s sixth in passing touchdowns (17) and third in passer rating (109.8), putting up strong numbers as the 49ers have dealt with multiple injuries at receiver. Allen has the most playmaking ability of the three, as his nine rushing touchdowns are tied for second in the NFL, regardless of position. He also has 2,261 passing yards and 13 passing touchdowns through eight games. But he also offers more turnover-worthy plays, ranking in the top five in that stat (14, per Pro Football Focus), as he has seven interceptions this year. So, Burrow is my pick to win MVP through the first half of the season. As I mentioned above, Burrow is playing the best football of his career, leading the league in a number of passing stats — and he might only add to his lead in those categories. Odds to win MVP: Joe Burrow: +210Josh Allen: +240Brock Purdy: +425Jordan Love: +650Trevor Lawrence: +900Caleb Williams: +1600Patrick Mahomes: +3000