Somehow, we’re already about a quarter of the way through the 2025 NFL season. Five weeks have passed, and we’re starting to get a sense of how the season might unfold. It’s been a bit of a strange one.

The Josh Allens and Lamar Jacksons of the world aren’t performing up to standard, which has opened the door for some unexpected candidates to take an early lead in the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year race.

Defensively, we’re seeing the same thing. Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett are all playing well, but there have been some other defenders who have surpassed them statistically through the first five weeks of the season.

There’s still a long way to go, but here is my pick for the MVP and many more awards a quarter of the way through the season.

Most Valuable Player: Baker Mayfield

HM: Matthew Stafford, Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Puka Nacua

After the first five weeks of the season, Baker Mayfield is my pick for Most Valuable Player. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback has thrown for 1,283 yards, 10 touchdowns and one interception, and has led the Bucs to a 4-1 record.

His performance this past weekend against the Seattle Seahawks where he threw for 379 yards and two scores behind an 88 percent completion percentage is exactly why I’ve picked him for this award. He’s proven he can put the team on his back and carry them to victory without a run game or defense.

There are plenty of other guys who deserve recognition for this award, most notably Matthew Stafford, but right now, Mayfield’s my pick. He currently has the fourth-best odds to win the award on FanDuel (+1100), behind Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes and Jordan Love.

Offensive Player of the Year: Puka Nacua

HM: Jonathan Taylor, James Cook, Emeka Egbuka, Christian McCaffrey, Matthew Stafford

Puka Nacua has been nothing short of incredible this season. Through five games, he has 52 receptions for 588 yards and two touchdowns. He’s averaging over 10 receptions and 100 yards per game, and if he just gets his touchdown numbers up a bit, he should be a lock to win this award at the end of the year.

If Nacua continues on this pace, he’ll finish the season with 177 receptions and 1,999 yards. Those numbers would shatter records. The current NFL record for most catches in a season is 149 and the record for most receiving yards in a season is 1,964.

Nacua is currently the favorite to win the OPOY award with +230 odds on FanDuel. Jonathan Taylor (+320), Bijan Robinson (+550) and Christian McCaffrey (+600) are close behind.

Defensive Player of the Year: Nik Bonitt0

HM: Aidan Hutchinson, Brian Burns, Byron Young, Jalen Pitre

Many people were not familiar with Nik Bonitto’s game heading into the season despite the fact that he finished third in the NFL in sacks last season, which helped him ink a four-year, $106-million deal this September.

When some players get paid, they can get a bit lazy and underperform, but not Bonitto. The Denver Broncos‘ star pass rusher is having a terrific season, posting seven sacks and 26 pressures in his first five games. He has two more sacks than any other player in the league right now, and to make the case even further, he’s tied for the second-most tackles for loss.

Bonitto currently has the fourth-best odds to win Defensive Player of the Year (+500) behind Aidan Hutchinson, Micah Parsons and Myles Garrett.

Protector of the Year: Penei Sewell

HM: Eric McCoy, Garrett Bolles, Dion Dawkins, Laremy Tunsil

Offensive linemen are people too!

For the first time ever, the NFL will be handing out a Protector of the Year award, given to the best offensive lineman in the NFL this season. Through the first five weeks, there’s a pretty clear and obvious winner: Penei Sewell.

Sewell has played 309 offensive snaps (163 pass blocking, 146 run blocking) and has given up just three pressures and no sacks, per PFF. His three pressures allowed are the second-least for any tackle in the league, and on top of that, he’s been great in the run game.

His 96.0 run blocking grade is 7.7 points higher than any other offensive lineman. The next closest is Tyler Linderbaum with an 88.3. His 94.0 offensive grade is also 7.9 points higher than any other lineman, with Jordan Mailata coming in second with an 86.1.

Sewell is the runaway favorite for the award at the quarter mark of the season.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Emeka Egbuka

HM: Ashton Jeanty, Tyler Warren, Quinshon Judkins, Tet McMillan

There really hasn’t been too much competition for this award. Emeka Egbuka has been far and away the best offensive rookie this season, totaling 25 catches for 445 yards and six touchdowns in his first six NFL games. He is the Bucs leading receiver by over 250 yards, and is currently the runaway favorite for the award.

Tyler Warren, Quinshon Judkins, Tet McMillan and Ashton Jeanty have all looked pretty good this year, but nobody is touching Egbuka at the moment. His +115 odds to win the award are clear of Jeanty (+380), Jaxson Dart (+650) and McMillan (+900).

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Carson Schwesinger

HM: Jihaad Campbell, Andrew Mukuba

There really haven’t been that many standout defensive rookies through the first five weeks of the season. Players like Abdul Carter, Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr., Mykel Williams, etc. just haven’t produced early, but there’s one guy who’s stood out among the rest: Carson Schwesinger.

The Cleveland Browns‘ second-round pick is already up to 44 tackles this season, which is tied for ninth in the NFL. On top of that, Schwesinger has also tallied one sack and two TFLs. He’s been a great pickup for the Browns thus far, and has easily been the best defensive rookie.

Despite his stats, Schwesinger has the third-best odds to win Defensive Rookie of the Year (+550), behind Abdul Carter (+170) and Jihaad Campbell (+270).

Coach of the Year: Shane Steichen

HM: Mike Vrabel, Kyle Shanahan, Liam Coen

This is another award that doesn’t have much competition at the moment. The Indianapolis Colts were an afterthought entering the season, but now stand atop of the AFC with a 4-1 record, and Shane Steichen is a big reason why.

Steichen has made Daniel Jones look like an above-average quarterback. He has designed a scheme perfectly around Jones and his star running back Jonathan Taylor, and has helped the Colts average 32.6 points per game, which is second in the league to the Lions.

Steichen has worked wonders with the Colts this season, and right now, he’s the runaway favorite to win the award with +250 odds. Liam Coen (+600), Kyle Shanahan (+650) and Mike Vrabel (+1000) follow right behind.

Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey

HM: Dak Prescott, Aidan Hutchinson, Daniel Jones

Out of all the awards, Comeback Player of the Year is by far the closest race. Right now, I’m giving the slight edge to Christian McCaffrey, but Dak Prescott and Aidan Hutchinson are nipping at his heels.

You may be asking yourself how a running back that’s averaging 3.1 yards per carry and has no rushing touchdowns can win this award. Well, when he’s sixth in the league in receiving yards, it makes up for some struggles on the ground. Through five games, McCaffrey has 669 yards (133.8 yards per game) and three touchdowns.

Christian McCaffrey and Dak Prescott lead the way with +230 odds to win the award, but Aidan Hutchinson is right behind with +250 odds.