NFL Mid-Season MVP for each team - AFC

With every team in the NFL having played at least 8 games, we are now at the midway point in the NFL regular season. It’s time to take a look at which players have shone brightest in each team, and who takes the highly coveted mid-season MVP awards. First up, the teams from the AFC.

#1 New England Patriots - Tom Brady

Tom Brady is not only the Patriots’ MVP, but the League-wide MVP favourite as we reach the mid-way point of the season.

Brady has had three games with a completion percentage over 70%, he’s had multiple touchdowns in every game for 22 total and he has had 6 of 8 games with a passer rating above 100.00. His stat line, as good as it is, could be even better. What’s more, it doesn’t even begin to describe how well Tom Brady is playing.

He is now 8-0 for the second time in his career. At 38 years old, he looks quicker than he has in a decade, moving well in the pocket and firing darts downfield.

Behind a rotating and injury-stricken offensive line, this may be Brady’s most impressive season yet; and that is saying something given the future hall-of-famer’s decorated career. With the march he is on, it is going to take something special to stop Brady picking up his third NFL MVP award.

#2 Miami Dolphins - Reshad Jones

This race was a close run thing between four players; Landry, Lamar Miller, Reshad Jones and Cameron Wake. Wake was closing ground after a slow start, racking up 7 sacks in a 3 game stretch to be T3rd in the NFL, but a season ending Achilles injury against the Patriots in week 8 has ended Wake’s season.

Landry’s 50 yard touchdown versus the Texans in week 7 was a thing of beauty, as he travelled over 100 yards with the ball in his hands, juking five defenders on his way to the house. But Landry has only flashed. He has gone over 100 yards only once all season, has only recorded a touchdown in two games, and has been neutralised by the best defences he’s faced (Jets, Patriots, Bills).

Miller had two outstanding games in back to back weeks against the Titans and Texans. Take that away, however, and Miller’s production has been below pedestrian. A lot of it isn’t his fault; he’s been given 10 carries or less in 4 of his 8 games this season. He’s been the difference when this team has won, which makes him valuable. But he disappears when they lose.

Reshad Jones has been the most consistent player on a bad defence. He leads all safeties with 74 combined tackles, the 5th most in the league, and he’s also added two interceptions for touchdowns in back to back weeks; one of only 4 defensive players all season with two touchdowns. The only player who has gotten the better of him this season is Rob Gronkowski, which is no shameful truth. Jones is having an All-Pro calibre season.

#3 Buffalo Bills - Tyrod Taylor

The Buffalo Bills have won 4 games this season, and Tyrod Taylor is a big reason why. He has been a huge difference-maker for this team, adding a playmaking ability under centre that the Bills have lacked for a long time. He has been accurate (71.8% completion, 1st in NFL) whilst still keeping the defence honest downfield.

His 8.58 yards per attempt is the 3rd best mark in the league. He’s also a dynamic dual threat, ranking third among quarterbacks with 38.5 rushing yards per game and first among quarterbacks with a staggering 5 rushes of 20 yards or more, to go along with 2 rushing touchdowns.

Stephon Gilmore and Ronald Darby have been fantastic at cornerback for Buffalo, and warranted consideration here. However, with both on the field against the Bengals and Jaguars in weeks 6 and 7, Buffalo still managed to give up 34 points in back to back contests. The defence is not the unit that can save games for Buffalo.

With Taylor absent in those two games against the Bengals and Jags, backup quarterback EJ Manual failed to produce. I have very little doubt that if Taylor was not hurt against the Jaguars especially, the Bills would have headed into their bye week with a winning record instead of being stuck at 3-4.

#4 New York Jets - Darrelle Revis

As well as Chris Ivory has run and Brandon Marshall has caught the ball, both have had their share of problems. Ivory has been limited in his last three games to 2.4, 1.1 and 1.1 yards per carry respectively.

Meanwhile, Marshall’s consistent tendency to produce a horrific mistake at the worst possible moment (the attempted pitch against Philadelphia in week 3 and both his dropped catch and his failure to get back onside at the end of the New England loss in week 6) negates the positive effect that his five 100 yard receiving games have had.

Darrelle Revis has been consistent and predictably spectacular. He has 3 interceptions and 3 fumble recoveries through the first seven games, which is the highest number for an individual player in the league and more than Baltimore and Dallas have as an entire team.

He has blanketed the opposing team’s top receiver; Amari Cooper, Julian Edelman and Jarvis Landry all had their worst day of the season so far against Revis, while Pierre Garcon, TY Hilton and Jordan Matthews had their second worst outing against Gang Green’s top corner.

Revis is second only to Carolina’s Josh Norman in opposing passer rating in addition to his six takeaways. Revis Island is still the stick by which all other NFL cornerbacks are measured.

#5 Pittsburgh Steelers - Antonio Brown

Half way through a season in which LeVeon Bell and Ben Roethlisberger have missed multiple games, the constant in the Steelers’ 7th ranked offence has been receiver Antonio Brown.

Brown hasn’t been consistent, having recorded below 50 yards receiving in 4 of his 9 starts.

Despite this, his 1,002 yards and 69 receptions are both the second highest marks in the NFL behind Julio Jones. He almost single-handedly won Pittsburgh’s week 9 clash with the Raiders, catching 17 balls for a staggering 284 yards to go along with another 22 yards rushing.

#6 Baltimore Ravens - Steve Smith Sr

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Unfortunately the elder statesman of the NFL’s receivers club won’t be the Ravens full-season MVP. After rupturing his Achilles tendon in week 8 against the Chargers, we may well have seen the last of Steve Smith’s impressive career.

However, what I saw from Smith through the 2015’s first 7 weeks was enough for me to know that he has been by far the most valuable player on the field for the Ravens. A leader by his style and emotive play, Smith never quit on his team despite a 1-5 start and a potential opportunity to be traded to a contender, which Smith quickly rejected.

At 36 and as the complete focal point of an offence worryingly bereft of other weapons, Smith managed to carve out the most impressive start to any season in his 15 year career. After going down in week 8, Smith had put up the 8th most receiving yards and 7th most receiving yards per game average in the league, along with the 11th highest reception total.

Justin Tucker and Marshall Yanda are the only other players worthy of mention here, but Steve Smith is the clear mid-season MVP for the lowly Baltimore Ravens.

#7 Cincinnati Bengals - Andy Dalton

Andy Dalton has always been a middling quarterback. Good enough to not replace, but not good enough to take you deep into the playoffs. He would have occasional bright spots, and then fade into a human pick machine in the bright lights of primetime.

Not this year, apparently.

This year’s version of the Red Rifle is unrecognisable when compared to the Andy Dalton of the last four years. His completion percentage, touchdown percentage and yards per attempt are all way above his career best to this point, while his interception percentage is easily the lowest of his career. He looks aggressive, accurate, ruthless and fearless, not words usually associated with Cincinnati’s man under centre.

While Dalton is now surrounded by the best talent in his career (Jeremy Hill, Gio Bernard, AJ Green, Tyler Eifert, Marvin Jones and Mohammed Sanu), as well as an offensive line that is keeping his pocket clean, it is Dalton that is bringing everything together in the Bengals’ high flying offence.

Having dismantled both Seattle and Buffalo’s stellar defensive units in back to back weeks, Dalton has now taken the necessary steps to go from pretender to very real MVP candidate. AJ Green and Tyler Eifert are having great years, but it is the Red Rifle who takes home the mid-season Bengals’ MVP selection.

#8 Cleveland Browns - Gary Barnidge

This could easily be wide receiver Travis Benjamin, who has been a legitimate deep threat and special teams ace for Cleveland this season. However, Benjamin has slowed as the season wears on and hasn’t caught a touchdown since week 3. Tight end Gary Barnidge has been the most important and consistent player on the Browns offence in 2015.

Barnidge’s 42 receptions, 602 yards and 29 first downs are all second in the league by a tight end behind Rob Gronkowski, while his 6 touchdown catches are the third most behind Gronk and Cincinnati’s Tyler Eifert.

To be arguably the second best tight end in the NFL behind Rob Gronkowski is no mean feat, and Barnidge is doing it without Tom Brady throwing him the football. The 30 year old tight end has come up clutch in multiple games, making very difficult catches when his team needed him the most. This ridiculous touchdown grab is just one example.

#9 Denver Broncos - Von Miller

I shudder to think what would have happened to the Broncos’ offence this season without the versatile Emmanual Sanders at wide receiver. A favourite of Peyton Manning’s, the diminutive wide-out has come up with some big plays in big spots, and has been a far most consistent and dynamic option this season than fellow receiver Demaryius Thomas, who has only recently started cutting out the mistakes.

Sanders has gotten Manning out of some tough spots, and he deserves some recognition for that.

However, the MVP of this team has to be on the league’s leading defence.

Chris Harris, Von Miller and Aqib Talib have all been fantastic and should all warrant All-Pro consideration by the year’s end.

However, as the best player in the NFL’s best defense, the nod goes to Miller. His 4 sacks on the season don’t really catch the eye, but his play on the field does every single week.

Miller provides pressure on the passer whilst maintaining the edge in the run game, and allows others to play around him knowing he is drawing all the attention from the offensive line. Without Miller, the Broncos defence ould look very different indeed.

#10 San Diego Chargers - Philip Rivers

This one is a no-brainer. Keenan Allen is worth mentioning because of his incredible production over the first half of the season. It’s really a shame that the third year player is now on IR with a lacerated kidney; he could have had a special season.

However, Phillip Rivers is on pace to throw for 5,392 yards, which would be the third most all time, and he’s now doing it with very little talent around him. He’s the lone bright spot in a dark year for San Diego. Is there a player in the league playing as well as Rivers with a losing record?

#11 Oakland Raiders - Derek Carr

Charles Woodson is the same age as Peyton Manning and leads the NFL in interceptions. He is the heart and soul of this defence, and while early chatter about Defensive Player of the Year consideration is ludicrous, he remains valuable to this team. But he isn’t the most valuable.

Make no mistake, the reason Derek Carr’s numbers looked so good through 6 games was because of his new weapons. Michael Crabtree is rejuvenated, while rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper is making plays all over the field, showcasing sublime catches and mid-air adjustments, and taking short screens past multiple defenders for big gains. I was just about to give Cooper the Raiders’ mid-season MVP award, and then week 8 happened.

Against the stellar New York Jets defence, Carr had a magnificent day despite Darrelle Revis effectively taking Amari Cooper out of the picture. Carr is not only displaying leadership and poise in the pocket, but he's producing at a level comparable to the NFL’s elite quarterbacks.

With a 19:4 touchdown to interception ratio and four 300 yard passing games, Carr’s numbers are almost identical to Aaron Rodgers’ through 8 games. That’s enough to make Derek Carr the MVP of this team.

#12 Kansas City Chiefs - Justin Houston

The Chiefs have a lot of players contributing to all phases of their game, without anybody being spectacular enough to rise above and shine. Alex Smith isn’t turning the ball over, and he’s starting to run at the right times for big chunks of yards.

Charcandrick West has helped the Chiefs stabilise their season after the loss of Jamaal Charles. Jeremy Maclin and Travis Kelce are safe ball-catchers and are both on pace for 1,000 yard seasons. Allen Bailey and Tamba Hali have both put pressure on the quarterback.

But the only player on this team worthy of All-Pro consideration is Justin Houston. He’s game-planned for, he’s double-teamed, and he still leads the team in sacks with 5.5. He’s the best player on this team and allows everybody else on the defensive side of the ball to play with more freedom. He’s the Chiefs mid-season MVP.

#13 Indianapolis Colts - Henry Anderson

Here we have yet another mid-season MVP that is sitting on Injured Reserve at the time of writing. Henry Anderson’s stats don’t jump off the page, but his play sure did.

The rookie defensive lineman from Stanford was a stalwart in run defence this year, plugging up holes, pushing guards into the backfield and freeing up the linebackers behind him to come in and make plays on the ball-carrier.

In a year when the usually stellar Colts’ offence has failed to live up to reputation thus far, I’m picking the most impressive player on the defensive side of the ball to be Indianapolis’ mid-season MVP.

#14 Jacksonville Jaguars - Allen Robinson

Yes, quarterback Blake Bortles is playing much better this season. But a lot of that is because of the dominant downfield play of second year wide receiver Allen Robinson.

Robinson has posted 40 receptions for 707 yards and 6 touchdowns in 8 games so far this season, and is the only receiver to have posted a 100 yard game against Darrelle Revis in 2015, which is a testament both to his skill and the confidence Bortles has in him.

The Jags’ primary wideout has shown great hands, a good understanding of the route tree and makes quality, quick cuts that give him separation from defenders.

Knocked for his lack of speed as a rookie, Robinson leads the NFL with 17 catches of 20-plus yards, and his 17.7 yards per catch is the highest among wideouts with at least 25 catches. Robinson might not have the speed, but his ability to stretch the field with his route-running, strength and ability to high point the football is making the Jaguars offence tick.

#15 Houston Texans - DeAndre Hopkins

J.J. Watt has more sacks through the first 8 games of this season (8.5) than he did at the same point last season (7). The only reason he isn’t generating as much buzz is 1) because people expect it now and 2) he hasn’t scored a touchdown this season. Having said that, Watt has not been the reason the Houston Texans have won three games, as well as he’s played.

DeAndre Hopkins is quickly entering the conversation as one of the top wide receivers in the NFL. Hopkins has 66 receptions through eight games, putting him on pace to challenge Marvin Harrison's single-season reception record (143).

Hopkins also has the third-most receiving yards in the NFL (870) along with the fourth highest mark in receptions, touchdowns and receiving yards per game.

And he’s doing it whilst drawing significant attention as the only credible threat on an otherwise tame offensive unit. The Texans could conceivably ride their spectacular pass catcher to a division title in the lowly AFC South.

#16 Tennessee Titans - Marcus Mariota

Brian Orakpo is starting to look like his old self again in Nashville, but this team goes as Mariota goes. The rookie quarterback has impressed in spells this season, throwing 13 touchdowns and only 5 interceptions in 6 starts; by comparison, Andrew Luck had 7 touchdowns and 7 interceptions through his first 6 NFL starts.

Mariota started the season throwing a near perfect game against Tampa Bay, and when the rookie was lost for two games with a lower leg injury, the team lost back-to-back games with Zach Mettenburger under centre in relief.

The entire Titans offence scored only 1 total touchdown in those two contests. Ranked in the top 11 in the NFL in passer rating, completion percentage and yards per attempt, Mariota is proving himself to be a reliable, franchise-calibre quarterback already.