Bleacher Report NFL Staff Awards Predictions at 2021 Midseason

It seems like only yesterday that the Dallas Cowboys and Tampa Bay Buccaneers were kicking off the 2021 NFL season. But as we move through Week 9, the regular season is just about halfway over.

Some things have gone as expected. We thought the Buccaneers would be good, and they are. We thought the Jacksonville Jaguars would be bad, and they are.

There have been surprises, however. The 6-1 Cowboys, 5-2 Las Vegas Raiders and 5-3 Cincinnati Bengals have all exceeded expectations. The 2-6 Washington Football Team and 1-7 Miami Dolphins, not so much.

Now that we've hit the midway point of the season, Bleacher Report NFL Analysts Gary Davenport, Brad Gagnon and Brent Sobleski and NFL Editors Ian Kenyon and Wes O'Donnell have come together to host a virtual midseason NFL Honors. Fewer trophies and bad jokes, but plenty of awards for the league's best performances by individuals and teams alike.

Who is the NFL MVP eight weeks in? What about the rookies of the year?

Read on to find out!

Coach of the Year

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Matt Lafleur, Green Bay Packers (3 votes)

2021 has been quite the ride for Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

For much of the spring and summer, LaFleur had to answer question after question about the happiness (or lack thereof) of his star quarterback and his future with the team.

When the regular season started with a blowout loss to the New Orleans Saints, it appeared that all of the distractions had taken a toll on the team. But as it turns out, the Pack were just showing the rest of the NFC a little light before slamming the door.

At 7-1, the Packers are tied with the Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals for the best record in the NFC. All told, LaFleur is now 35-9 as a head coach in the NFL, with trips to the NFC Championship Game after each of his first two seasons. Only one coach in NFL history has more wins over his first 40 games than LaFleur's 33.

That coach is Guy Chamberlin, who coached back in the 1920s.

"Pressure was higher on LaFleur this season than any other coach in the NFL," Kenyon said. "He was coming into a Super Bowl-or-Bust, 'Last Dance' season with Aaron Rodgers' future in Green Bay in limbo. After getting trounced Week 1 by the Saints, things looked like they could potentially spiral out of control.

"But LaFleur's coaching has been nothing short of impeccable, leading the team to seven straight wins, including a road win without Davante Adams over the unbeaten Cardinals. LaFleur has the Packers positioned to reach their ultimate goal this year despite all of the chaos surrounding the team this past offseason."

Others Receiving Votes: Kliff Kingsbury, Arizona Cardinals (1 vote); Zac Taylor, Cincinnati Bengals (1 vote)

Offensive Player of the Year

Zach Bolinger/Associated Press

Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans (4 votes)

After leading the NFL in rushing each of the past two seasons, Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry was off to another fantastic start.

Over eight games, Henry carried the ball 219 times for 937 yards and 10 touchdowns, all of which led the league through Week 8. He averaged 117.1 yards per game, which would have put him on pace to become the first back in NFL history to top 2,000 yards in back-to-back seasons.

That's all over now. After breaking a bone in his foot last week against the Indianapolis Colts, Henry underwent surgery that will likely sideline him for the rest of the regular season.

By the time the NFL Honors roll around in February, another player will likely take home the Offensive Player of the Year award. But four of our panelists, including Gagnon, gave our midseason version of the honor to Henry anyway.

"He obviously won't win it now, but this is a midseason no-brainer," he said. "Through eight weeks, Henry led the NFL in scrimmage yards by a 172-yard margin and was tied for the league lead with a double-digit touchdown total. He was running away with another rushing crown and will likely still lead the league in that metric for three or four more weeks despite the fact he won't be on the field. What a shame."

What a shame indeed.

Others receiving votes: Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams (1 vote)

Defensive Player of the Year

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys (3 votes)

It isn't surprising that the DPOY vote was close. There are two players whose performance over the first eight weeks of the season stands above the rest of the league.

Cleveland Browns edge-rusher Myles Garrett has been terrorizing opposing quarterbacks all season long. The first overall pick in the 2017 draft has notched at least a half-sack in seven of Cleveland's first eight games on the way to 10.5 for the season.

"It's not just that Garrett leads the NFL in sacks, or that he's on pace to take a serious run at Michael Strahan's single-season record of 22.5," Davenport said. "He has been an unblockable terror each and every week, and double-teams don't even appear to slow him down that much. Garrett already has the franchise records for sacks in a game (4.5) and a season (13.5). By the time the dust settles on 2021, he may well have Strahan's record as well."

However, Garrett was beaten out for Defensive Player of the Year by second-year cornerback Trevon Diggs, who piled up seven interceptions over the first six games of 2021 and possesses a minuscule passer rating against of 43.9.

"The numbers speak for themselves, as he leads the league in interceptions, pass deflections and defensive touchdowns," O'Donnell said. "The most important part, though, is how big of an impact he's made during the Cowboys' six-game win streak. If he keeps it up, and Dallas lands the top seed in the NFC, he could even warrant being in the MVP conversation."

Others receiving votes: Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns (2 votes)

Offensive Rookie of the Year

Adam Hunger/Associated Press

Ja'Marr Chase, WR, Cincinnati Bengals (5 votes)

When the Cincinnati Bengals passed up Oregon offensive tackle Penei Sewell in favor of LSU wide receiver Ja'Marr Chase with the No. 5 overall pick, some questioned the wisdom of that decision.

No one is questioning it now.

Chase isn't just having one of the best seasons ever by a rookie wideout. He's having one of the best seasons of any wideout in the NFL, period.

Chase's 786 receiving yards ranks third in the league. He's also tied for fourth in the NFL with seven touchdowns, and he has topped 100 yards in a game three times, including a franchise-rookie-record 201 yards against the Baltimore Ravens. Chase is also averaging 20.7 yards per grab, tops in the league among players with 10 or more receptions.

"At this rate, Chase isn't just going to break Justin Jefferson's rookie receiving record—he's going to obliterate it," Davenport said. "That Chase is so easily rampaging across the NFL is all the more impressive when you consider that he didn't even play football in 2020. Chase and Joe Burrow have picked up right where they left off in Baton Rouge, and they're already one of the most dangerous pitch-and-catch duos in the NFL."

Per ESPN's Ben Baby, Chase wants more than to be part of one of the best QB/WR duos in the league. He wants to unseat Aaron Rodgers and Davante Adams as the (green and) gold standard in that regard.

"I think we can better than Davante Adams and Mr. A-Rod," Chase said.

Don't bet against him.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys (4 votes)

The Dallas Cowboys are one of the NFL's biggest surprises over the first half of the 2021 season. And while players like quarterback Dak Prescott, running back Ezekiel Elliott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb have all played a part in their 6-1 start, the Cowboys wouldn't be where they are without a vastly improved defense.

That defense wouldn't be vastly improved without the addition of Penn State's Micah Parsons.

Parsons has been nothing short of a revelation for the team. He started off the year playing off-ball linebacker, but when Demarcus Lawrence suffered a season-ending foot injury, Parsons was pressed into action as an edge-rusher.

He didn't miss a beat. Parsons has played both spots as well as any first-year player in the league, and he told David Helman of the team's website that he's just getting started.

"There is never a time when I'm in the game where I feel like I don't belong," he said. "I know I belong here. I know I should be out here playing."

The NFL staff here at Bleacher Report agrees wholeheartedly—Parsons is right where he belongs.

"Parsons is so talented and flies to the ball so quickly, he might as well be nicknamed 'Starscream,'" Sobleski wrote.

"Need an off-ball linebacker to man the middle of the defense? No problem. Parsons is second on the Dallas Cowboys with 40 total tackles. Need a hybrid edge defender while others are injured? No problem. The Penn State product transforms into the league's best pass-rusher among rookies, per Pro Football Focus.

"There's no need to disguise what Parsons can do, because he can do it all at a relatively high level." 

Others receiving votes: Azeez Ojulari, Edge, New York Giants (1 vote)

Comeback Player of the Year

Steven Senne/Associated Press

Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys (3 votes)

Dak Prescott's 2020 season was cut short by a nasty fractured ankle in Week 5.

His 2021 season has been quite a bit dreamier.

Prescott's march toward Comeback Player of the Year honors hit a bit of a snag last week when a calf injury caused him to miss a Dallas win over the New York Giants. But when he's been on the field, he has played MVP-caliber football.

Through six starts this season, Prescott has completed 73.1 percent of his passes and averaged 302.2 passing yards with 16 touchdowns, four interceptions and a career-high 115.0 passer rating. No quarterback in the league is playing at a markedly higher level.

"In Week 5 of the 2020 NFL season, Prescott suffered a compound fracture and dislocation to his right ankle," Kenyon said. "A year later, he's enjoying the best year of his career. With the Cowboys positioned to make a serious run in the NFC, Dak isn't only in contention for Comeback Player of the Year; he could also find himself squarely in the MVP race by season's end."

Still, with Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also lighting it up after tearing his ACL last season, Prescott better get back on the field soon. Otherwise, he might get passed up by Burrow or another NFL star on a rebound rampage.

Others receiving votes: Joe Burrow, QB, Cincinnati Bengals (2 votes)

Fantasy Player of the Year

Justin Rex/Associated Press

Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams (4 votes)

In fantasy football, success is about finding players who significantly outperform their draft slot. This year, no one has done that more than Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp.

As Sheil Kapadia of The Athletic noted, Kupp has quickly emerged as Matthew Stafford's favorite target and a leader of one of the league's best offenses:

"The Rams have the NFL's most efficient offense, and Kupp's ability to get open in tight spaces in the red zone is a big reason why. Kupp has been targeted a league-high 20 times in the red zone. He's caught 14 of those targets, scoring on nine of them and picking up first downs on three others. By just about any metric, Kupp has been an elite wide receiver so far this season."

Kupp leads the league in receiving yards (924) and touchdowns and is pacing the NFC in receptions with 63. He also leads all wide receivers in fantasy points by a wide margin.

Not bad for a guy who was barely drafted inside the top 20 receivers on average this year.

"Kupp has been a big part of the Sean McVay offense since his rookie season, but he's now the genuine focal point, and the numbers are staggering," O'Donnell said. "His connection with Stafford looks easy. He's the only receiver in the league with double-digit touchdowns so far this year, pacing him to flirt with potential record numbers both for yards and scores. Whether he gets there doesn't really matter; he's still likely to wind up being the most valuable skill-position player in fantasy football."

Others receiving votes: Cordarrelle Patterson, RB, Atlanta Falcons (1 vote)

Breakout Player of the Year

Jim Mone/Associated Press

Trevon Diggs, CB, Dallas Cowboys (3 votes)

And we have our first repeat award winner! We hope Diggs has room on his mantle for all of this imaginary hardware.

Diggs could go the rest of the season without intercepting another pass. But as Ben Solak wrote at The Ringer, he has something that sets him apart from many of the NFL's other big names at his position—a history of playing wide receiver:

"Diggs's ball skills are legit, and should help him convert pass breakups to interceptions at a solid rate. Remember, some very talented cornerbacks excel at discouraging targets with tight coverage and disrupt passes with length and strength, but simply do not have the ball skills to reel in interceptions. Players like Tampa Bay corner Carlton Davis (46 career pass break-ups, six career interceptions) and Diggs's predecessor in Dallas, Miami corner Byron Jones (52 career PBUs, four career INTs) fit this mold. Both are roughly the same size as Diggs, and excel in similar alignments: man coverage, deep third zones, pressed on the line of scrimmage—and both are good athletes to boot. But neither first committed to Alabama as a wide receiver, the way Diggs did. As Diggs shared this past week, he cried when Alabama head coach Nick Saban switched him from wide receiver to cornerback—but now, that switch has positioned him as one of the best young ball hawks in the league."

Still, Diggs has to be considered the runaway favorite to lead the league in interceptions, and it would only take three more for him to hit 10 on the season. And if a 10-pick season isn't a breakout, we don't know what is.

"Not only is the sophomore on pace to shatter the single-season interceptions record of 14, but he's been tremendous in coverage throughout the year and is a prime DPOY candidate," Kenyon wrote. "While he was far from a slouch in his rookie campaign, no one has made a leap as significant as the one Diggs has made in 2021. We'll see if he can sustain it, but even a few more picks will result in a wildly impressive season for him when it comes to his playmaking ability."

Others receiving votes: Denzel Perryman, ILB, Las Vegas Raiders (1 vote); Deebo Samuel, WR, San Francisco 49ers (1 vote)

Most Improved Player of the Year

Paul Sancya/Associated Press

Javon Hargrave, DT, Philadelphia Eagles (2 votes)

Plenty of NFL players have shown marked improvement in 2021. That's shown in our votes for Most Improved Player of the Year, as four players received a vote.

For Sobleski, the pick was Las Vegas Raiders edge-rusher Maxx Crosby. It's a sentiment shared by Doug Kyed of Pro Football Focus.

"In just seven games, Crosby has seven sacks, 12 QB hits and 47 total pressures," Kyed said. "He's already set a career-high in QB hits, and he's one dominant pass rush away from his top mark in pressures. Crosby has also been a dependable run defender (74.3 grade) this season."

Meanwhile, Davenport singled out Green Bay Packers linebacker De'Vondre Campbell.

"When Campbell signed with the Packers in the offseason, the deal generated exactly zero hype," he said. "But Campbell has been doing plenty of hype-building sense. The 28-year-old is sixth in the NFL in tackles and has added a sack, two interceptions and two forced fumbles. He might just be the defensive MVP for a 7-1 Packers team."

However, only one player received multiple votes.

In 2020, Philadelphia Eagles defensive tackle Javon Hargrave tallied 38 tackles and 4.5 sacks across 15 games. Eight games into the second year of his Eagles tenure, Hargrave has already bested both marks, piling up 40 stops and six sacks while emerging as Philly's best defensive lineman.

Those six sacks are tied for the NFL lead among interior linemen, and more than Aaron Donald of the Rams, DeForest Buckner of the Colts and Quinnen Williams of the Jets.

Others receiving votes: De'Vondre Campbell, ILB, Green Bay Packers (1 vote); Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders (1 vote); Harold Landry III, Edge, Tennessee Titans (1 vote)

Best Team

Matt Patterson/Associated Press

Los Angeles Rams (3 votes)

There has been no shortage of surprises so far this season, but eight weeks in, we have a pretty good idea of who the league's best teams are.

In the AFC, four two-loss teams sit in a logjam at the top of the conference: the Baltimore Ravens, Las Vegas Raiders, Buffalo Bills and Tennessee Titans. The Raiders are the biggest overperformers of the lot, and it's tough to get a bead on the Titans after Derrick Henry went down.

That leaves the Ravens and Bills, and of the two, the Bills appear to have the best balance between offense and defense. Plus, they're only one Josh Allen slip away from being 6-1 instead of 5-2.

In the NFC, four teams have only one loss, and many of those teams have played one another this season. The Los Angeles Rams were handed their lone loss of the year by the 7-1 Arizona Cardinals, who were handed their only loss by the 7-1 Green Bay Packers.

Of those contenders, the Rams made the biggest splash at the trade deadline, swinging a deal for Pro Bowl edge-rusher Von Miller. But that trade wasn't why Davenport was one of three pundits who voted for Los Angeles as the best team in the league at the midway point of the season.

"The Rams are my pick for best team not because of any one player, but because of the balance they have on both sides of the ball," he said. The Rams can throw the ball all over the field, but Darrell Henderson Jr. is also an underrated running back. Defensively, they already had a solid front seven before acquiring Miller, and Jalen Ramsey might be the best cornerback in the NFL. This team doesn't have any glaring weaknesses."

Others receiving votes: Buffalo Bills (2 votes)

Most Valuable Player

Justin Rex/Associated Press

Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (3 votes)

It can be tricky picking an MVP at the midway point of a season. Plenty can and will happen between now and the NFL Honors on February 12.

Some players will get hot in the season's second half. Others will cool off.

There's one thing we do know: The NFL's Most Valuable Player will all but certainly be a quarterback. The last non-quarterback to win the award was Adrian Peterson back in 2012.

Sure enough, all of the votes here went to quarterbacks—three in total.

Only one of those signal-callers received multiple votes. While Matthew Stafford of the Rams has thrown for over 47,000 yards and 304 touchdowns across his 13-year NFL career, he hasn't experienced postseason success or earned individual accolades. His lone Pro Bowl trip came in 2014.

However, Sobleski was one of three voters who believes that will change in 2021.

"Tom Brady is great," he said. "Kyler Murray is great. Derrick Henry was great prior to his foot injury. All of this is true, and each deserves some MVP recognition at the halfway mark of the 2022 campaign. But only Stafford entered a new situation, elevated the team around him and placed it squarely in the mix as a Super Bowl contender and the league's best squad.

"The Los Angeles Rams knew they had to be better at quarterback, so they traded Jared Goff, a third-round draft pick and two future first-round selections for Stafford. How has the 33-year-old veteran rewarded them? He ranks among the top three quarterbacks in passing yardage, yards per attempt, touchdown passes, passer rating and QBR. He's been everything Sean McVay hoped for and more."

Others receiving votes: Tom Brady, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1 vote); Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals (1 vote)