Midseason awards: Wilson gets MVP nod

The NFL has just about reached the halfway point of its regular season, and as we hand out midseason awards, the league and the NFL Players Association deserve some recognition for navigating eight weeks without losing a game. Their goal is to get in 256 games in 17 weeks, and while there is a long way to go, it has been impressive that the NFL has made it this far with only minor schedule changes.

That has allowed fans to witness the best offensive production in NFL history, with scoring and passing numbers at all-time levels. That offensive outburst is clearly reflected in our midseason awards.

■ MVP: QB Russell Wilson, Seahawks. People in Seattle have been complaining for the past couple of years that Wilson hasn’t received a vote for the MVP award. That should end this year. Wilson is having one of the greatest seasons for a quarterback in NFL history. His 26 touchdown passes are the second-most ever through eight weeks of a season.

For years, the Seahawks have played more conservatively on offense, relying on Wilson to lead fourth-quarter comebacks. The theme this year, in a response to the cries of many fans, has been to “Let Russ Cook.” Coach Pete Carroll is letting him throw more on first and second down. The team is letting him go more up-tempo. The result is that Wilson is completing 71.5% of his passes for 2,151 yards and 8.4 yards per attempt.

■ Super Bowl front-runners: Chiefs and Seahawks. The Pittsburgh Steelers are undefeated and have a slightly easier schedule down the stretch, but give the nod to Kansas City in the AFC because of Patrick Mahomes, who sits alongside Wilson as the best quarterbacks in the league.

It has been incredible to watch Mahomes grow as a quarterback. This year, he’s completing 66.9% of his passes for 2,315 yards — second-most in the league — and 21 touchdowns. He’s on pace to throw for more than 40 touchdowns.

Seattle’s 37-27 win over San Francisco on Sunday puts the Seahawks in the best spot to get the NFC’s No. 1 seed. They have a tough month ahead, with games against the Buffalo Bills, Los Angeles Rams and Arizona Cardinals, but as long as they don’t lose two of those, they are on pace for a 12- or 13-win season.

■ Super Bowl challengers: Steelers, Ravens, Buccaneers and Packers. The Steelers’ win over the Ravens on Sunday in Baltimore was huge. At the halfway mark, their schedule is set to be the fifth-easiest in the league.

Don’t sleep on the Ravens. Though Lamar Jackson isn’t putting up the MVP numbers of last year, their running attack is potent and the defense is in the top seven.

Tampa Bay can still beat out Seattle for the No. 1 seed in the NFC. It will be interesting to see what changes after Antonio Brown joins the offense.

Green Bay loses a tiebreaker to the Bucs because of its 28-point loss to them last month. Aaron Rodgers is having an MVP-type season and can carry the Packers, but the run defense is a concern.

■ Coach of the Year: Mike Tomlin, Steelers. Coaches who win every year are typically passed over in the voting. Carroll, Andy Reid, John Harbaugh and others have set such a high standard of producing playoff teams that the award usually goes to a new coach whose team surprises with a winning record or a trip to the Super Bowl. But Tomlin deserves it. The Steelers didn’t make the playoffs last year. Now they are 7-0.

■ Rookie of the Year: QB Joe Burrow, Bengals. Cincinnati’s defense is the sixth-worst in the NFL, giving up 400.9 yards and 26.8 points per game. The offensive line has been horrible. But Burrow is having one of the greatest rookie seasons in NFL history. His 221 completions in the first eight games are the most by a quarterback in NFL history. He’s completing 67% of his passes and has thrown only five interceptions. What’s even more impressive is how he has been able to handle his bad pass blocking, shaking off 28 sacks to keep his team competitive.