Tom Rock: NFL midseason awards are here; and the winners are . . .

At the unofficial midway point of the NFL season, it’s time to take a look at the front-runners for some of the league’s biggest awards. There are a few surprises, a few that were easy to predict and a few in which our preseason picks couldn’t have been further from what has transpired.

Coach of the Year: John Harbaugh, Giants

When the Giants beat the Texans in Week 7, Harbaugh called it “a players' win in every way.” Maybe it was. But the results of this season can be traced directly back to Harbaugh himself. He was hired to change the culture of an organization and less that two months after his first regular-season game on the job, the Giants have undoubtedly become his team.

Being 4-2-1 and in first place in the NFC East at this point would be a story by itself for the Giants. That they are in that position after playing most of the first half without starting quarterback Jaxson Dart and All-Pro edge rusher Brian Burns, and that they will now be without starting inside linebacker Tremaine Edmunds for the rest of the season too, is all Harbaugh. He’s pushed nearly every button he’s needed to at the right time, whether it was trading for and then inserting J.J. McCarthy as the quarterback or benching and then resurrecting Cam Skattebo.

There are others who deserve to be in the conversation. Ben Johnson is doing a great job in Chicago. Todd Monken — a former Harbaugh lieutenant in Baltimore — has surprised a lot of folks in Cleveland. And Kyle Shanahan has a chance to erase the stigma of not being able to win the big one with the 49ers. But Harbaugh’s impact on the his team has been second-to-none.

Oh, by the way, if Harbaugh does win the award, at age 64 he’d be the oldest to do so since 70-year-old George Halas in 1965. The oldest in the Super Bowl era to win it was Dick Vermeil, who was 63 in 1999. Harbaugh certainly doesn’t look like a geezer out there jawing at officials, high-fiving and hugging stars, and celebrating overtime touchdowns with spills onto the turf under piles of happy players.

Harbaugh has rejuvenated the Giants, yes. But the Giants have also rejuvenated Harbaugh.

Preseason pick: DeMeco Ryans, Texans

MVP: Josh Allen, Bills

This is a race that has gotten closer over the last few weeks. Brock Purdy, Joe Burrow and Caleb Williams are all capable of pushing ahead of Allen in the second half of the season. Trevor Lawrence and Drake Maye could garner consideration. And after a very slow start, Bo Nix might even be able to steal a few votes. But this was Allen’s award to win when the season began, it was Allen’s award to win after the first month of the season and it’s still Allen’s award to win now.

He is the league’s most dynamic threat at quarterback with 11 touchdown passes and another nine rushing and he has played like a man on a mission to bring a title to Buffalo this year. He does have nine turnovers, which he needs to clean up, but if he can do that and the Bills keep winning games, expect Allen to win the award for the second time in three years. 

Preseason pick: Allen

Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks

Smith-Njigba won this award last year with 1,793 receiving yards and this season he is on pace to easily top that. He might even approach the NFL’s single-season record of 1,964 set by Calvin Johnson in 2012 and become the first player in NFL history to go over 2,000 in a season (he’s currently at 985, which puts him on pace for 2,093). He has more receiving yards through eight games than the entire receiving corps of 10 other NFL teams and leads the league in the category by 259 yards over Tee Higgins of the Bengals.

More significantly, he makes it impossible for any team to use the argument that opposing defenses take away their best receiving target. Yes, Jets, we are talking to you. While the Jets shrug and struggle to get the ball to Garrett Wilson, Smith-Njigba accounts for 51.5% of Seattle’s total passing yards. The only players to win Offensive Player of the Year in back-to-back seasons were Marshall Faulk (1999-2001) and Earl Campbell (1978-80). Get ready to add Smith-Njigba to that list.

Preseason pick: Jahmyr Gibbs, Lions

Defensive Player of the Year: Will Anderson Jr., Texans

Can we vote for someone who hasn’t played a snap in the league since 2015? You can make the case that no one has had a bigger defensive impact on this season than former cornerback Charles “Peanut” Tillman, whose fumble-causing punches have gone from a quirky technique to something teams dedicate serious practice time toward. Through eight weeks, the NFL was on pace for 474 forced fumbles this season, which would shatter the record of 437 set in 2023. Virtually every carry these days is punctuated by a defender taking a swipe at the football either with an overhand chop, uppercut, or straight cross.

Anyway, Anderson is tied for the NFL lead with 7.5 sacks so we’ll stick with the Texans star even though T.J. Watt could certainly jump ahead of him and Chase Young is an intriguing dark horse.

Preseason pick: Anderson

Comeback Player of the Year: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City

Mahomes isn’t quite at the level that won him the MVP awards in 2018 and 2022, but he has thrown for 1,795 yards, 12 touchdowns and just four interceptions while leading Kansas City to a 5-2 start. He returned to the field just nine months after tearing his ACL and LCL and that injury has been a non-factor.

Shout-out to a few others who have put up stellar numbers after serious injuries in 2025, including Giants wide receiver Malik Nabers and 49ers linebacker Fred Warner, but seven of the last eight winners in this category were quarterbacks and given the national profile Mahomes has, it’s hard to see anyone topping him in this category.

Preseason pick: Mahomes

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Carnell Tate, Titans

Speaking of awards that typically go to quarterbacks . . . this one won’t. Assuming undrafted Joe Fagnano doesn’t lead a Ravens resurgence in the second half of the year, there just isn’t a player at the position who is getting enough action to warrant consideration. We picked Fernando Mendoza to win it in the preseason figuring he’d have taken over in Las Vegas by now, but Kirk Cousins had other ideas.

There is a world in which Omar Cooper Jr. makes a strong second-half push for the honor and the award goes to a Jets receiver for the second time in five years (Wilson won it in 2022), but Tate has more of a starring role in the Titans offense (34 catches, 413 yards, 1 TD) and Cam Ward is starting to show some improvements as his passer.

Preseason pick: Fernando Mendoza, Raiders

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Arvell Reese, Giants

It’s not just the numbers that make Reese the pick, it’s how much dang fun it is to watch him play. Whether it’s crushing running backs who try to step up to him in pass protection, dropping into coverage and using his massive frame to clog passing lanes, or chasing down ballcarriers from behind for thunderous tackles, the man-child has become a centerpiece for the Giants’ defense . . . and should be for years to come. Kudos to the team for seeing him as an off-ball linebacker when most others wanted to use him as an edge rusher. After just seven games, it’s hard to envision him as anything else besides the role he has fit into perfectly for the Giants.

Preseason pick: Caleb Downs, Cowboys

Super Bowl LXI: Bears over Bills

The meme of the first half of the season was Caleb Williams being carted off the field as if he might never play again. Luckily for the Bears, he came back and he is now playing better than ever, giving the Bears a great chance to win it all. With the addition of Jeffery Simmons last week, Chicago even has a title-caliber defense. As long as Williams and other key players can stay off that cart, they could be creating a new meme in February — one in which they hoist a trophy for the first time since 1985.

Preseason pick: Rams over Texans