NFL Midseason Awards: MVP, Play of the Year, best quote, top rookies, more from wild first half
This isn't your uncle's awards, we're having some fun while handing out trophies at the halfway point of the NFL season
By
JP Acosta
•
14 min read
We've officially reached the midpoint (I think, 17 games makes it weird) of the 2025 NFL season and wow there's a lot going on! It feels like we're back in 2014 with the Patriots, Steelers, Chargers and Colts at the top of their respective divisions in the AFC, while over in the NFC the teams are stacked and ready to make a playoff run.
A lot of what we thought would be true about the NFL this season was flipped on its head through the first eight weeks, and that makes football really fun! Since we're at the midseason point, I decided that it's about time that we give out some awards through this point of the season. It won't just be your basic awards like MVP, Offensive Player of the Year and the whole roster of trophies actually given out by the NFL, we're going to have some fun with it, giving out awards for best play, best quote and other cool awards in the same vein. So let's hop into it!
Quote of the Year: 'If we keep it a buck right now we ass' Cam Ward, Tennessee Titans
#Titans QB Cam Ward: “If we keep it a buck right now, we ass. We've dropped a quarter of our fu****g games.” https://t.co/M7FJokx752 pic.twitter.com/mTXPOzM8Rg
— Ari Meirov (@MySportsUpdate) September 28, 2025
What a tough year for the first overall pick. Nothing has gone right for the Titans, who have seen the infrastructure around their young QB crumble and their head coach not make it through the first half of the season. Ward is ultra-competitive, and honestly I love this quote from Ward talking to the media. This shows me Ward wants to win and wants to be great, even though this will get memed into oblivion (I've already used it). It was such a blunt answer to a question and a sad truth about the Titans this season.
Celebration of the Year: Cam Bynum dancing with Blue
Finalists: Six-Seven, Cam Skattebo backflip
CAM BYNUM INT AND THEN HE REALLY DID 'THE THING' WITH @blue pic.twitter.com/jUEISdSFeJ
— NFL on CBS 🏈 (@NFLonCBS) September 14, 2025
This one couldn't go to anyone but Bynum, who has set the standard for NFL celebrations for the last couple of years now. The celebrations have been a little subpar this season, but whenever Bynum gets an interception you just know that he's going to be celebrating in some crazy way. My favorite part of this is Blue, the Colts mascot, immediately knowing the vibes and dancing along with him. Incredible work.
Play of the Year: Trevor Lawrence's stumble heard around the world
Finalists: Titans throw a pick and score a TD at the same time
TREVOR LAWRENCE UNREAL 😱
— ESPN (@espn) October 7, 2025
Go-ahead TD in the final seconds ‼️ pic.twitter.com/qZ75CwU4tZ
In what would be the game winning touchdown, Trevor Lawrence did what might be the most Jacksonville Jaguars thing of all time: he got stepped on by a lineman, forcing him to fall. But then he got up, because he wasn't touched down and ran into the endzone. There's no more cinematic or chaotic way to end a game that's happened this year, and the fact that it was on prime-time television makes it even funnier.
Game of the Year: Buccaneers-Seahawks Week 5
Finalists: Steelers-Bengals Week 7 (The Unction), Chiefs-Jaguars Week 5, Ravens-Bills Week 1
Imagine telling yourself three years ago that teams quarterbacked by Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield would play in the game of the year. 2025 has been a weird year for football! Bucs-Seahawks was incredible, with insanely high levels of QB play and offense designed by two teams that are vying for the top spot in the NFC. Some of the moments in this game were insane, like WR Emeka Egbuka going toe to toe with his former college teammate in WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the game-ending interception being doinked off a player's helmet. It was absolute cinema, and I hope we see these two teams play in the playoffs.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tyler Warren, TE, Indianapolis Colts
Finalists: Emeka Egbuka, Will Campbell
This one feels like the most obvious pick of the group. Tyler Warren is having one of the coolest rookie seasons in recent history, and is providing exactly what the Colts needed to blend their offense together into the machine of efficiency they are now. Warren leads all tight ends in receiving yards this year and is second in yards after the catch. Coach Shane Steichen loves using him in creative ways to dictate matchups from the defense, and he's become a fulcrum of what the Colts want to be as an offense. With Warren on the field, the Colts have one of the most dangerous offenses in 11 personnel in the league, and that's largely because of what Warren brings as both a blocker and receiver. With Warren on the field, the Colts' offense is averaging 0.26 EPA per play and a startling 57% positive play rate, per Sports Info Solutions. He can line up in the backfield, he'll line up spread away from the formation and when the Colts get him the ball, good things happen. Easy pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Abdul Carter, EDGE, New York Giants
Finalists: Nick Emmanwori, Will Johnson, Carson Schwesinger, Xavier Watts
I REALLY wanted to give this award to Schwesinger, who has been playing out of his mind on a very good Cleveland Browns defense. However, since 2010 only two off-ball linebackers have won the award (Luke Keuchly in 2012, Shaquille Leonard in 2018) and both guys had over 160 tackles and Leonard literally stuffed the statsheet with seven sacks, eight PBUs, four forced fumbles and two interceptions while Keuchly had 164 tackles and seven pass deflections. Schwesinger has been balling, but he's on pace to miss the 160+ mark by 30 tackles and doesn't have the same chaotic plays forced as the other guys.
Which leads me to Carter, who is doing freakish things for a defense that gets him on the field in as many ways as possible. He's tied for the NFL lead in quick pressures with 19 per NFL Pro, is 15th in ESPN's pass rush win rate and is in the top 10 for total pressures with 33. The Giants will give him advantageous situations where he's using his speed to win against guards on the interior, but there are moments on the edge where he's just a blur of speed and power and you just get it. Carter is my pick here, but I do think it's close.
Comeback Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Detroit Lions
Finalists: Christian McCaffrey, Matthew Stafford, Andrew Thomas
The finalists for CPOY are interesting. Making sure this is for players who are recovering from injuries (looking at you, Daniel Jones), I narrowed down the field to these four. McCaffrey leads the NFL in touches with 196 through eight games and has looked like the player we once knew that terrorized NFL defenses.
We all know about Stafford's experience with the Ammortal Chamber, but through the first half of the season it looks like whatever they did worked. Stafford is tied for the NFL lead in touchdowns with 17 and has only thrown two interceptions on the year, looking like the pure dropback passer that can still lead the Rams to the promised land.
Thomas is coming off a Lisfranc injury, but has looked every bit like the top flight tackle that he has been for the last few years. He's fourth in the NFL in ESPN's Pass Block Win Rate and has been a big part of why the transition to rookie QB Jaxson Dart has been so good.
However, Hutchinson coming back from his leg injury and still being one of the better pass rushers in the NFL gets my vote. He's third in the NFL in total pressures this season, has two turnovers caused by pressures this season and has looked every bit the part of the guy who was racking up sacks before his injury last season. Hutchinson is also a large part of why the Lions sit at second in the NFL in defensive EPA per play allowed, with his pressure forcing teams to get the ball out quick. Eventually the sacks will come, but even without them he's my Comeback Player of the Year.
Protector of the Year: Quenton Nelson, OG, Indianapolis Colts
Finalists: Garrett Bolles, Andrew Thomas, Lane Johnson
There are a lot of good finalists for Protector of the Year, but I have to give it to Nelson in what is another Hall of Fame year in a Hall of Fame career. There are so many parts to the Colts' offense and what makes it work, but their offensive line is what gives them a major margin for error. Nelson has been unstoppable this season, even beyond some of the counting stats like pressure rate allowed. The impact he has as a run blocker has been easy to see on tape, springing big Jonathan Taylor runs and providing a clean pocket for Daniel Jones to throw from. All of the candidates are worthy of Protector of the Year, but for the impact that a Hall of Famer like Nelson has had on the best offense in the NFL this season, he wins the award at midseason.
Assistant of the Year: Klint Kubiak, offensive coordinator, Seattle Seahawks
Finalists: Chris Shula, Josh McDaniels, Vance Joseph
In one of the more obvious picks of this slate, Kubiak wins this one clearly for what he's done with a Seahawks offense that still has plenty of holes. The schematic shift they've taken with being in heavier looks and still attacking downfield at such a high rate is so impressive, especially without an offensive line that's played exceptionally well this season. Seattle is one of the most explosive offenses in the NFL despite not having consistent receiving targets outside of WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba, and I think that's due to the mind meld between Kubiak and QB Sam Darnold. Let's talk about their connection for a bit, too. Darnold has shown over the last season and a half that he can be an explosive downfield passer if you dress up the concept for him, and Kubiak has done that so well, using bigger personnel and heavy run looks to force teams into playing base personnel against them. The hope is that as the season continues to move along the run game finds some consistency, but even without that Kubiak should be the front runner for Assistant of the Year.
Position Coach of the Year: Hank Fraley, offensive line, Detroit Lions
Finalists: Tony Sparano Jr, OL coach, Colts; Chris Partridge, OLB coach, Seahawks; Jeff Stoutland, OL coach, Eagles
Week 1 feels like it happened ages ago if you're a Detroit Lions fan. After all of the worrying about the Lions offensive line after the first week of the season, the Lions look like ... well, the Lions. The two young starters in Christian Mahogany and Tate Ratledge are playing at a high level on the interior, and Graham Glasgow has been rock solid on the inside. Fraley was a priority keep for the Lions after Ben Johnson left for Chicago, and we're seeing why this season. Having a great offensive line coach makes the margin for error so wide, and because of that Fraley gets the nod.
Coach of the Year: Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
Finalists: Kyle Shanahan, Todd Bowles, Dan Campbell, Mike Macdonald
There are going to be a lot of Colts in these awards, so just be ready for it. What Steichen has done with a QB who was deemed a castoff and an offense that couldn't find its footing last season is so, so impressive. To put some numbers to their offensive turnaround: the 2025 Colts are scoring the most points per drive of any team in the NFL since 2000, even outpacing the 2007 Patriots. Even crazier is that while that Patriots team put up 3.19 points per drive, the Colts are at ... 3.46. That's an insane level of efficiency for a team led by Daniel Jones, who would've thought!
This year's Colts are eighth in the NFL in success rate since 2000, putting more context behind an offense that's executing at a historic level. What I love watching about the Colts offense is that everything builds off of their foundation plays. While the Colts love using split zone, everything builds off of that. Tyler Warren goes across the formation and slips out the backfield for YAC opportunities, Michael Pittman Jr is the dirty work guy over the middle of the field, Alec Pierce stretches the defense vertically and horizontally and Josh Downs is their third down money guy. Everyone on this offense is playing at their highest level in their specific roles, and it's what has the Colts at a blistering 7-1 through eight games. Their second half schedule is rough, but if they get through that with one of the top seeds in the conference Steichen should be Coach of the Year.
Offensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
Finalists: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Puka Nacua, Patrick Mahomes
What Smith-Njigba, Mahomes and Nacua have done is incredible, but Taylor is putting up incredibly efficient numbers as one of the most explosive players in the NFL this season. Taylor is on pace for 30 touchdowns this season, second-most in NFL history behind LaDanian Tomlinson in 2006. He's averaging almost 6 yards per carry, and his +23.4 total EPA as a runner is first in the NFL by almost four points.
While the argument will be that Taylor is the beneficiary of a great offensive line (which I will agree he works in concert with his offensive line), the Colts' offense is only 14th in yards before contact per attempt. By comparison, the 2024 Eagles were third in that same metric. Meanwhile, Taylor and the Colts are fifth in yards after contact per attempt. Taylor by himself averages 4.3 yards after contact per attempt this year, first in the NFL among qualifying RBs. Taylor is having a year for the ages, and that gets him OPOY for me.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, EDGE, Cleveland Browns
Finalists: Nik Bonnito, Micah Parsons
On Tuesday's episode of the Pushing the Pile podcast (which I highly recommend), I said I would vote for Nik Bonnito for Defensive Player of the Year, just out of concern for what the precedent was for winning a DPOY but having your team not make the playoffs. Since 2000, only four players have ever won Defensive Player of the Year while not making a playoff team: Michael Strahan in 2001, Ed Reed in 2004, Jason Taylor in 2006 and JJ Watt in 2014.
The trend here is that to win DPOY on a losing team is that you have to have darn near historic production. The good thing here is that Myles Garrett is on pace for some truly epic numbers this season. Despite being double teamed at the highest rate among the top EDGEs in ESPN's pass rush win rate, he's eighth in win rate overall. Garrett is tied with the Giants' Brian Burns for the NFL lead in sacks right now with 10, and is on pace for 21.5 sacks this season, putting him just one sack shy of the single-season record. He's also on pace for 32 tackles for loss, which would be the second most in a single season in NFL history. Despite what Nik Bonnito and Micah Parsons are doing this season, Garrett is the best defensive player in the NFL by a substantial margin, and on pace for record numbers, making him the Defensive Player of the Year.
MVP: Drake Maye, QB New England Patriots
Finalists: Jonathan Taylor, Patrick Mahomes, Baker Mayfield
The jump that Drake Maye has taken from promising to elite in one offseason is a sight to behold. For an offense that still hasn't been perfect (21st in pass block win rate, 28th in EPA per carry), Maye has been transcendent, leading the Patriots to a 6-2 record and leading the AFC East. Maye has done a little bit of everything for this Patriots offense, as he's fourth in EPA per play as a passer and fifth in success rate. He's also second in the NFL in passer rating, with the only guy ahead of him being Lamar Jackson.
But what really stands out about Maye this year is that he's making the offense both explosive and efficient. Maye is 13 of 17 on passes of over 20 air yards this season, a blistering number for any QB let alone a guy in his second year. Maye is doing this while throwing to a receiver group that doesn't truly have an ace pass catcher and with pass protection that's still coming along, but it hasn't mattered for a large majority of the season. In addition, he's getting it done with his legs to keep the offense on schedule. Per Sports Info Solutions, among all QBs with at least 10 scrambles Maye is ninth in first down rate. If we confine this to third and fourth down, on Maye's six scrambles he has five first downs, making it almost impossible to stop him. Yes, I understand that the Pats' schedule hasn't exactly been the toughest, but given the degree of difficulty the Pats' young signal caller is playing with, he's getting the absolute most out of this offense. The game has slowed down for Maye big time this season, and with it has come a year where he looks like the next elite QB and MVP through eight games.
