NFL 2026 midseason awards: Joe Burrow or Josh Allen for MVP? Our picks for every honor - USA Today

We're officially at the halfway point of the 2026 NFL season, which means it's time to check the scoreboard, revisit those preseason predictions and perhaps admit where we got things wrong.

Week 10 kicks off Thursday night, and while all 32 teams are still mathematically alive in the playoff hunt, some have a much better shot at hoisting the Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl 61 than others. The same goes for the league's individual award races.

Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, Brock Purdy and Caleb Williams have all put together compelling MVP cases through nine weeks. Jahmyr Gibbs and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are making a serious push for Offensive Player of the Year, while the Rookie of the Year races and Defensive Player of the Year battle are still very much up for grabs. In other words, there's plenty of football left to sort out.

Before the season, USA TODAY Sports' experts put their predictions on the record. Now, it's time to see who's in the driver's seat, who's eating crow and who's changing their tune.

Here's where our panel stands at the midway point, with picks for MVP, Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year, Rookie of the Year, Protector of the Year and more.

Revisit our experts' NFL preseason award predictions here.

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