With Week 5 representing the rough quarter-mark of the 2025 NFL season, here's looking at the updated predictions for the league's major awards and some fun unexpected developments.
NFL quarter-season awards: Josh Allen, Dak Prescott & Jonathan Taylor top predictions after Week 5 originally appeared on The Sporting News
The NFL has passed the first quarter of the 2025 season — and it's never too early to look at the awards races.
When rounding up from a 17-game schedule through Week 18, Week 5 represents a good chunk of action already being in the books. Every team has at least four games under their belt, providing fans with an outlook into which players have put together strong campaigns so far.
The Sporting News is looking at who is the early frontrunner for a multitude of honors, including MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, and much more.
MORE: NFL power rankings heading into Week 6
NFL quarter-season awards 2025
2025 NFL MVP
Pick: Josh Allen, QB, Bills
Lamar Jackson won't be his competition this year. Although there are multiple worthy quarterback candidates, including the three men below and Rams QB Matthew Stafford, Allen is still doing the heavy lifting for the Bills with his downfield passing and running, even with James Cook increasing his impact in the rushing attack. Even with the home loss to New England to make the AFC East closer, Buffalo remains a strong Super Bowl contender.
Honorable mentions: Daniel Jones, QB, Colts; Baker Mayfield, QB, Buccaneers; Jared Goff, QB, Lions
MORE: How costly turnovers doomed Bills in loss to Patriots
NFL Offensive Player of the Year
Pick: Jonathan Taylor, Colts
Taylor is on track to win his second NFL rushing title and first since 2011. He's been waiting to overcome injury and get the right QB support to explode in Shane Steichen's offense and Daniel Jones has provided the latter. Taylor is on pace for 1,632 rushing yards and 20 rushing TDs. He is also tracking to a career-high 452 receiving yards, which would give him his second 2,000-yard-plus scrimmage season.
Honorable mentions: Puka Nacua, WR, Rams; Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers; Jaxson Smith-Njigba, WR, Seahawks
NFL Defensive Player of the Year
Pick: Nik Bonitto, EDGE, Broncos
Bonitto jumped up to 7 sacks by throwing down 2.5 of the team's six-pack on Jalen Hurts behind the Eagles' tough offensive line. After he got his deserved mega contract extension in the offseason, he is making sure he will become a household name pass-rushing star. He's ready to succeed teammate Patrick Surtain II with the league's ultimate individual defensive honor, beating out some heavy hitters.
Honorable mentions: Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Lions;Myles Garrett, EDGE, Browns; Fred Warner, LB, 49ers
NFL Coach of the Year
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Pick: Kyle Shanahan, 49ers
Shanahan has kept the 49ers' offense chugging along despite major injuries around running back Christian McCaffrey in a weird twist of fate. The defense lost its most impactful player, Nick Bosa, too. Shanahan got the ideal backup for Brock Purdy in Mac Jones and the supersubs keep on coming at wide receiver and tight end. Defensively, the decision to reunite with coordinator Robert Saleh has been huge to get that group back on track with contributions from several young players.
Shanahan was Sporting News' coordinator of the year with the Falcons' offense in 2016 and SN coach of the year for his 2019 with the 49ers. It's time he won again.
Honorable mentions: Mike Vrabel, Patriots; Dan Campbell, Lions; Shane Steichen, Colts
MORE: How 49ers have been decimated by injuries in recent history
NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year
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Pick: Emeka Egbuka, WR, Buccaneers
The Bucs don't have Jalen McMillan or Mike Evans. Chris Godwin is just being eased back into action. Egbuka has delivered big-time as a first-round pick who has turned more into a necessity and luxury. He's up to 25 catches for 445 yards and 5 TDs in 5 games, on pace for 85 catches, 1,513 yards and 17 TDs at a ridiculous clip of 17.8 yards per reception. He's the latest and best so far of the Ohio State star wide receivers as a key target for Baker Mayfield's "Captain Comeback" candidacy for MVP.
Honorable mentions: Tyler Warren, TE, Colts; Quinshon Judkins, RB, Browns
MORE: Ranking the best wide receivers from Ohio State
NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
Pick: Jihaad Campbell, LB, Eagles
Campbell has been the ideal tackling machine and rangy playmaking complement to ace cover linebacker Zack Baun in the key interior of Vic Fangio's 3-4. Georgia has dominated recent defensive draft picks for Philadelphia, but they rolled with the right Alabama prospect as a classic dominant pro position for that program.
Honorable mentions: Carson Schwesinger, LB, Browns; Jonas Sanker, S, Saints; Xavier Watts, S, Falcons
NFL Comeback Player of the Year
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Pick: Dak Prescott, QB, Cowboys
Somehow, Prescott didn't win this award in either 2021 after his season-ending ankle fracture in 2020 or in 2023 after an early-season thumb fracture in 2022. He will win this time for his return from the hamstring tendon avulsion he suffered in 2024.
Prescott wants to stay off this candidacy in the future, but he's looking like the ideal successor to Joe Burrow, who will try to win this award a third time in 2026. Dak is the main reason the Cowboys are 2-2-1 with an atrocious overall Micah Parsons-less defense. He's on pace for 4,610 passing yards and 34 TD passes. Prescott is also completing a career-high 71.3 percent of his pass attempts.
Honorable mentions: Christian McCaffrey, RB, 49ers; Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE, Lions; Daniel Jones, QB, Colts
MORE: Where Dak Prescott's contract ranks among largest in NFL this season
NFL Coordinator of the Year
Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images
Pick: Josh McDaniels, offensive coordinator, Patriots
McDaniels has proved twice that he's a bad head coach. He's not good at managing entire teams because at the same time, he's also losing his play-calling mojo. But as an offensive coordinator in New England? He always kills it.
Now it's not about having Tom Brady execute for him. He's doing it with growing second-year QB Drake Maye throwing to Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Hunter Henry and others. He's doing it, balancing out issues with Rhaomondre Stevenson vs. rookie TreVeyon Henderson in the backfield. The Patriots missed his scheming badly and it's been many happy returns with him back.
Honorable mentions: John Morton, offensive coordinator, Lions; Anthony Campanile, defensive coordinator, Jaguars; Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Broncos
Super Bowl 60 prediction
Pick: 49ers over Bills
If you were paying attention, this also would be Sporting News' preseason prediction for what will happen in Santa Clara — at the 49ers' home Levi's Stadium — on Feb. 8.
The 49ers are 4-1 despite a rash of key injuries and they will get plenty of offensive help back for Christian McCaffrey at some point as they keep rolling through a favorable schedule. The Bills are also looking as dominant at times as everyone expected with Allen. There's no reason to change the projected marquee matchup.
Category: Football
