It seems like just yesterday the Buffalo Bills and Los Angeles Rams battled it out in the National Football League’s Kickoff Game. Now, six weeks have passed us by and for the most part, it is clear where some teams’ seasons are going. Before we know it, awards will be given out to the best players of the year. But, before they are officially distributed, let’s have fun and give the awards out early. Awards include the official NFL Honors awards, plus some I added in order to shout out some players.

Offensive Player of the Mid-Year: Justin Jefferson

It was hard to give out this award, especially since I did not want to give out multiple awards to a single player. Justin Jefferson has been playing out of his mind though and has helped the Vikings massively over-perform their lowly expectations. With multiple 100-yard games, Jefferson has made the crucial plays that have helped the Vikings win close games, whilst his two touchdowns in Week 1 helped the Vikings beat the Packers.

Defensive Player of the Mid-Year: Micah Parsons

Micah Parsons appears to only be improving on his rookie season, reminding some older heads of Aldon Smith in the early 2010s. Parsons is on 6 sacks already, and has been doing well in every game. He is on pace to record 17 sacks, which would not only beat out his total last year (13) and the minimum he set for himself (15), but cement himself as a bonafide superstar in the NFL. One day, he could be the reason the Cowboys go to a Super Bowl.

Offensive Rookie of the Mid-Year: Breece Hall

The Jets have been on a roll, outperforming relatively low expectations. Breece Hall, the Jets’ fourth pick in the draft, was expected to have a big impact. This big impact, however, was unpredictable. Hall has put up more than 600 all-purpose yards after six games, more than any other rookie offensive player. This has included his two best games of the season against Green Bay and Miami. Expect him to hold down the starting spot for a while.

Defensive Rookie of the Mid-Year: Tariq Woolen

This award was way easier to give out. No defensive player is playing on a Micah Parsons-type level, but there is one playing like Richard Sherman. Woolen, who came out of UTSA, drew some comparisons to Richard Sherman because of his playstyle, but a big difference between the two is Woolen’s blistering 4.26 speed. The 40-yard-dash time he recorded was expected to raise his draft stock, but he managed to fall to the fifth round. He now looks like an absolute steal, one of many in the colorful draft history of John Schneider and Pete Carroll, who themselves drafted Sherman in 2011.

Coach of the Mid-Year: Nick Sirianni

You probably think I only chose Sirianni because the Eagles are the only unbeaten team left and have been for nearly a month, but Sirianni deserves it. If the Eagles had gotten the number one seed like the Titans did, Sirianni would have gotten Coach of the Year. He deserves it now, since the NFC East as a division has been overperforming its low expectations. His team has started 6-0, with Jalen Hurts playing efficient football and the run game playing lights out, including Hurts. New signings Haason Reddick and James Bradberry are playing solid football as well, contributing to a top ten defensive unit.

Comeback Player of the Mid-Year: Saquon Barkley

It looks like Saquon is truly back. He has more all-purpose yards than anyone else in the league. With his help, the Giants are in the same position the Eagles were last year, contending for the playoffs in what was supposed to be the first year of another attempt at a rebuild. After six games, Barkley is at 771 yards rushing and receiving, with two 140+-yard games under himself. It is lovely seeing the Penn State alum back to his best self again.

Unexpected Breakout Star of the Year so far: Geno Smith

Experts predicted the Seahawks would be unable to keep up with anyone due to their trading away of franchise icon Russell Wilson. The team was left with Drew Lock and Geno Smith, two quarterbacks who fell short of the expectations of getting drafted in the high second round, competing against each other for a starting spot. Smith ultimately won, and has only proven his case this season. His efficiency in terms of completion percentage is out of this world. It was at 77% after four games, an NFL record, but fell to 73% after six games, still an amazing feat. Had Seattle’s defense overall been less porous, the “Geno” chants would have been going along with “MVP” chants.

Biggest upset of the year: Giants over Ravens

I have to commend the Giants for the work they have done this season. Brian Daboll is doing a coaching masterclass, sure, but you still would not expect them to be able to turn around a ten point deficit against a team historically known for great defense under John Harbaugh but that also had the league’s most dynamic quarterback in Lamar Jackson. But that’s what happened, with the Giants playing great defense of their own and forcing crucial turnovers, including the one that set up the game-winning touchdown.

Lastly…

MVP: Josh Allen

This is bound to be another big season for Josh Allen’s Bills, and I can easily see him winning MVP. He is playing like that, too, as the Bills have put up the second-most points per game in the league, behind the Lions. But Allen has contributed the most out of everyone on that Bills team and has led the offense, so he seems like a typical and obvious choice for a midseason MVP award.

Remember, it is only a month into the new season, so anything can happen. The Dolphins started 1-7 and finished 9-8 last season, whilst the Ravens started 8-3 and missed the playoffs due to injuries. The actual awards list will likely differ greatly from this one, but I believe that some awards do not fully reflect how a season played out unless you unofficially hand them out mid-season, which is what I have done here.