The first eight weeks of the 2025 NFL season are drawing to a close, providing two full months of NFL stats to evaluate as the calendar flips to November. It provides an opportunity to take a good reading of everything that’s happened and deliver some early picks approaching the halfway point for a variety of NFL awards.
As we head into Week 9, let’s dive into our NFL Award Predictions after the first two months of the season.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jaxson Dart, QB, New York Giants
This is an easy selection, for the time being. Tampa Bay Buccaneers receiver Emeka Egbuka’s production has dipped in the last three weeks (117 receiving yards on 25 targets) and Las Vegas Raiders running back Ashton Jeanty stands little chance of making an impact behind one of the league’s worst offensive lines. So, through Week 8, New York Giants quarterback Jaxson Dat is the only right pick for Offensive Rookie of the Year.
- Jaxson Dart stats (ESPN): 984 passing yards, 8-3 TD-INT, 59.9% completion rate, 6.9 yards per attempt, 90.8 QB rating, 195 rushing yards, 4 touchdowns
With that said, the Cam Skattebo injury could change things. Now, defenses can focus more attention on Dart and he won’t have an excellent all-purpose running back to support him. Skattebo’s absence will also further magnify the Malik Nabers injury, putting a cap on what the Giants’ offense can do.
Related: New York Giants Coaching Candidates to Replace Brian Daboll
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jihaad Campbell, Philadelphia Eagles
The NFL let it happen again, allowing linebacker Jihaad Campbell to fall to the Philadelphia Eagles. The rookie has started all eight games, making plays all over the football field. He’s stood out in coverage-75.6 QB rating allowed when targeted-and is also standing out as a run defender. However, with Nakobe Dean returning, Campbell’s snap count has started to dip a bit. If that trend continues, Giants’ edge rusher Abdul Carter (11 pressures and 8 QB hits) becomes the top choice for Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025, Weekly Evaluations of All 32 Teams
Offensive Player of the Year: Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts
The bottom line is that the NFL MVP is now a quarterback award, there’s no getting around it. So, Indianapolis Colts running back Jonathan Taylor will have to settle for Offensive Player of the Year. Let’s go beyond the fact that he leads the NFL in rushing yards (850), touchdowns (12), and first downs (44) entering Week 9. Taylor is the centerpiece of the best offense in the NFL and he leads all running backs in yards after contact (330), while ranking second in breakaway runs (nine) and third in broken tackles (13). He’s also unlocked the best-ever version of Daniel Jones. Taylor is OPOY.
Related: Week 9 Fantasy Rankings
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
A five-sack game will certainly help Myles Garrett’s campaign for Defensive Player of the Year. Of course, the Cleveland Browns edge rusher is the pick for reasons that go beyond a single game that allowed him to tie for the league-lead in sacks (10). Garrett is tied for the third-most pressures (20) and he ranks in the top 10 for both ESPN pass-rush win rate and run-stop win rate. Just for good measure, he also has the second-most hurries (32) in the league. For now, that’s good enough for Garrett to be the pick for DPOY. If Detroit Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson maintains his recent stretch, though, he deserves to win it for the first time.
Related: NFL Defense Rankings 2025, Weekly Evaluations of All 32 Defenses
Coach of the Year: Shane Steichen, Indianapolis Colts
Coming into the season, it felt inevitable that Colts head coach Shane Steichen would be fired. That’s because the offense finished last season ranked 23rd in red-zone touchdown rate (53.8 percent), 20th in scoring rate (36.6 percent), 21st in yards per drive (29.3), and 19th in points per drive (1.92). There was no reason to think that would suddenly improve with Daniel Jones, who had a career 84.3 QB rating, 3.1 percent touchdown rate, and averaged just 6.5 yards per attempt with a 24-44-1 record.
Look at where Indianapolis is now. Entering Week 9, the Colts’ offense leads the NFL in yards per play (6.5), red-zone touchdowns (26), scoring rate (60.8 percent), yards per drive (40.8), and points per drive (3.39). Meanwhile, Jones has the fifth-best QB rating (109.5) in the NFL and he’s the best passer in the NFL this season when pressured. Oh, Indianapolis is also 7-1. Steichen is the only pick for Coach of the Year.
NFL MVP: Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs
Patrick Mahomes has felt like a bit of a sleeping giant in recent seasons, at least in terms of his MVP candidacy. The Kansas City Chiefs really hadn’t put together an offensive line or receiving corps in the past two seasons that could help him deliver MVP-caliber production. That’s no longer the case. A remade offensive line and the return of Rashee Rice have unlocked Kansas City’s offense. Over the last four weeks, Mahomes boasts a 14-3 TD-INT line with a 71.8 percent completion rate, while averaging 8.1 yards per attempt and a 114.8 QB rating. Just for good measure, because the Chiefs’ run game hasn’t offered much, he’s put up 155 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns. While Drake Maye is having a breakout season, Mahomes’ overall play as of late makes him the choice for NFL MVP entering Week 9.
