Week Nine of the NFL is upon us which means we have officially reached the halfway point of the regular season. WUFO has compiled their picks of who would win the season awards in both conferences should the season end today. Below are WUFO’s picks for the National Football Conference through eight weeks of the season.
Coach of the Year : Dan Quinn, Washington Commanders
COTY at the mid-way point belongs to Commanders’ HC Dan Quinn who took over the NFL’s second worst team in 2023. Last year’s team only managed to win four games, this year’s squad has already exceeded that total and sit just one game behind the Conference-leading Detroit Lions. A combination of new rookie QB Jayden Daniels and first-time head coach has turned the Commanders around completely. The team continues to rally around Quinn and Daniels especially after the Hail Mary victory over Chicago. Washington went from allowing the most points in the NFL last season to allowing just under 21 points per game. Turning around a franchise that was considered impoverished as a first year head coach is no small feat and has earned Quinn WUFO’s recognition.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: QB Jayden Daniels, Washington Commanders
Its week nine and this rookie has been involved in MVP talks since the early goings of the season. Making him the obvious favorite for Rookie of the Year. Daniels has led Washington to a 6-2 start and after his recent Hail Mary throw to win the game over the bears in the final seconds, he is sitting pretty on top of the rookie world. The Rook has accumulated 1,736 passing yards along with seven touchdowns and remains in MVP talks; easily earning him the ROTY nod from WUFO and probably everyone else.
Defensive Player of the Year: Aidan Hutchinson, Detroit Lions
Unfortunately, this pick will expire as the season continues given the season-ending leg injury Hutchinson suffered against the Cowboys in week six. Entering that matchup, Hutchinson was leading the NFL with 6.5 sacks even though he’d only played 4 games after the week five bye. His campaign ends at 7.5 sacks (tied for third) 19 tackles and 45 pressures, as he existed in a league of his own. The Lions say he may be able to return for a Super Bowl appearance if everything goes well.
Defensive Rookie of the Year : OLB Jared Verse, Los Angeles Rams
This rookie leads all other rookies in pressures, but his sack stats have been slow to climb. That is due to the fact that the Rams team as a whole isn’t producing sacks as an eye-catching rate, but Verse is coming off his best performance in week 8 where he tallied one tackle and 1.5 sacks. Verse is tied for third in edge pass rush win rate as a rookie and currently has the best odds to win the League’s DROY, making him the clear favorite in the NFC.
Offensive Player of the Year : RB Saquon Barkley, Philadelphia Eagles
Saquon Barkley is the clear OPOY favorite coming out of the NFC, but falls short of the actual award’s favorite, Derrick Henry in the AFC. Barkley is averaging 109.4 yards per game and 5.9 yards per carry. Barkley has also tallied six touchdowns, 17 receptions and 106 receiving yards. Keep an eye on the race between him and Henry as the Eagles have a favorable schedule against some of the weaker run defenses in the league while the Ravens are set to face some of the top dog run defenses as the season continues.
Comeback Player of the Year: QB Kirk Cousins, Atlanta Falcons
Kirkio currently holds the best odds in the NFL to win comeback player of the year after suffering a torn Achilles in the 2023 season. He took the lead over Aaron Rodgers after his TNF performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers where he threw four touchdowns on 42-of-58 attempts for 509 yards. Cousins is also third in the league in passing yards (2,106)
Most Valuable Player: Jared Goff
Goff has been leading what appears to be a juggernaut offense that has averaged an insane 43 points over the last four games. He currently holds the fourth best odds to win the League MVP this season; behind three AFC QBs. If my math is correct, he’s the best in the NFC, hence why WUFO picks Goff from the NFC leading Detroit Lions.
Written by Raven Ullah, WUFO Intern
