Copyright CBS Sports
With a blink of an eye, the midway point of the 2025 NFL regular season is upon us. And if the first half is any indication of what is in store for the second half of the regular season, NFL fans will surely be in for a treat. The first eight weeks of the regular season featured some spectacular individual performances that could lead to hardware for themselves and possibly their teams at season's end. Specifically, the Patriots and Colts have multiple individuals who are in position to win some of the biggest awards the NFL has to offer. It's no coincidence that both teams are also off to surprisingly good starts. Before the start of Week 9, members of the CBS Sports team cast their votes for the NFL's most distinguished individual awards through the season's first eight weeks. Some votes were landslides, others were extremely close and one ended in a dead heat. The voters (14): CBS Sports editorial senior director Adam Silverstein; CBS Sports assistant managing NFL editor Kevin Steimle; CBS Sports NFL editor Kyle Stackpole; CBS Sports NFL writers Cody Benjamin, John Breech, Jared Dubin, Garrett Podell, Tyler Sullivan; CBS Sports writers Jordan Dajani, Bryan DeArdo, Zach Pereles; CBS Sports HQ NFL analysts JP Acosta, Leger Douzable and Emory Hunt. MVP 1. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (7 votes) 2. Patriots QB Drake Maye (4 votes) 3. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes (3 votes) Has the NFL MVP become a quarterback award? Based on our votes, that may not be the case this year as Taylor appears to have a serious case to be the first non-QB to win the award since Adrian Peterson did so 13 years ago. Not surprisingly, Taylor's two closest competitors for the award are indeed quarterbacks. However, the QBs themselves are a bit surprising, especially Maye, who is completing a league-high 75.2% of his passes. A two-time league MVP, Mahomes (who currently leads the NFL with 17 touchdown passes) is back in the MVP conversation after leading the Chiefs to three straight wins after a 2-3 start. Offensive Player of the Year 1. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor (11 votes) 2. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba (2 votes) 3. Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield (1 vote) This award, at times, has been the consolation prize for non-quarterbacks who had an MVP-caliber season (see Saquon Barkley last year). In that vein, it's no surprise that Taylor dominated the voting as he has been the league's best skill player through eight weeks. What is surprising, however, is that Mayfield is receiving an OPOY vote but no MVP votes. Regardless, Mayfield deserves some love for his role in the Buccaneers' 6-2 start. Defensive Player of the Year 1. Browns DE Myles Garrett (8 votes) T2. Giants OLB Brian Burns (2 votes) T2. Packers DE Micah Parsons (2 votes) Others receiving votes: Broncos OLB Nik Bonitto (1 vote), Texans DE Will Anderson Jr. (1 vote) Garrett ran away with the vote, and it's not too hard to see why. The 2023 DPOY leads the NFL in tackles for loss and is tied with Burns for the league lead with 10 sacks. He had five sacks this past week while becoming just the fourth player since 1982 to record at least five sacks in a game while being on the losing team. Garrett, who recently broke Reggie White's NFL record for most career sacks before turning 30, is trying to become the 13th player (and only active player) with multiple DPOY trophies. Offensive Rookie of the Year 1. Buccaneers WR Emeka Egbuka (9) 2. Colts TE Tyler Warren (3) 3. Giants QB Jaxson Dart (2) With Chris Godwin and Mike Evans injured, Egbuka has stepped up for a Buccaneers team that has overcome a myriad of injuries during the season's first half. Egbuka appears destined to continue the lineage of successful receivers that have come out of Ohio State. This list also includes Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Garrett Wilson, Terry McLaurin, Chris Olave and Marvin Harrison Jr. Defensive Rookie of the Year T1. Browns ILB Carson Schwesinger (6) T1. Giants OLB Abdul Carter (6) Others receiving votes: Eagles ILB Jihaad Campbell (1), Seahawks S Nick Emmanwori (1) We have a tie in what appeared to be a vote between production and potential. While Carter has just 0.5 sacks, he leads all rookie defenders in pressures, which would seem to indicate that the numbers will eventually be there for the No. 3 overall pick. Conversely, Schwesinger has already made a tangible impact on the Browns' defense, currently leading the team with 64 tackles. His first career interception came at the expense of Maye during Cleveland's Week 8 loss to New England. Comeback Player of the Year 1. Cowboys QB Dak Prescott (5) 2. Lions DE Aidan Hutchinson (4) 3. 49ers RB Christian McCaffrey (3) Others receiving votes: Colts QB Daniel Jones (2) While less prestigious, this award might be the most compelling one to monitor during the second half of the season, given the number of deserving candidates. Prescott is once again playing at an elite level, a year after he suffered a gruesome hamstring injury that ended his 2024 season after eight games. Hutchinson, a year after suffering tibia and fibula fractures, has six sacks and a league-high four forced fumbles for the 5-2 Lions. McCaffrey could possibly become the first player in history to finish top-10 in the league in both rushing and receiving a year after experiencing a litany of health issues that included Achilles tendinitis in both knees. Jones, who is enjoying a career renaissance this season with the Colts, would have a much stronger case to win the award had the NFL not recently changed its criteria for CPOY to emphasize players who returned from either a major illness or a physical injury. Coach of the Year 1. Shane Steichen, Colts (11) 2. Mike Vrabel, Patriots (3) It's clearly a two-man race between two coaches who have led their respective teams to surprising spots atop their divisions. Based on our voting, it appears that Steichen's impact on Jones has given him a sizable lead at this point over Vrabel, the 2021 COY, who is on the precipice of leading the Patriots to their first winning season since '21.
