NFL midterms Most exciting player Top rookie Best trade

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NFL midterms: Most exciting player? Top rookie? Best trade? Published: Nov 07, 2018 at 05:30 AM Contributing Columnist The votes are in! The people have spoken! OK, fine -- in the midterm exercise below, I was the only one who voted. This is the Nine, after all. If you came to this website seeking escape from election fever, well, I'm sorry to inform you that we're not immune. My esteemed editors at NFL.com asked me to serve as the voice of the people in nine pre sing "races" midway through the 2018 NFL season. Allow me to introduce the candidates ... and the winners! 1) Grizzled veteran QB I trust the most The candidates: -- , -- , -- , And the winner is ... I believe that Rivers and Brees are currently in the top four of the NFL MVP race. I'd rank it , , Rivers, Brees. Rivers has been consistently sensational, with at least two touchdown pa ses in every single game and pa ser ratings north of Daryl Williams Jersey 100 in seven of eight (Week 4's 97.2 mark being the lone exception). Brees boasts eye-popping figures in areas like completion percentage (76.3) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (18:1). Both are still playing at levels, piling up incredible numbers and stockpiling wins. But when it comes to trust, it's . Look at the very first drive of last Sunday night's (10 plays, no-huddle action, touchdown). Or the two drives after ' game-changing fumble (where Brady completed all five of his pa ses for 89 yards while directing a pair of TD drives). Or (when Brady outdueled wunderkind to hand the their lone lo s of the season). is the greatest quarterback of all time and -- amazingly -- he's still playing like it at age 41. 2) Top overall rookie The candidates: -- , S, -- , LG, -- , CB, And the winner is ... Nelson and James are my midseason picks, respectively, for Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year. Just eight games into Year 1, each first-round selection has significantly impacted his new team. I'll give the slight nod to the James, who has been all over the field making plays in big spots for the 6-2 . How's this for a half-season stat line: 55 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 6 pa ses defensed and a pick? Yeah, it's still inexplicable how this cat lasted until the No. 17 overall pick. What a ble sing for the Bolts! 3) Top defense The candidates: -- -- -- And the winner is ... The toughest category in this piece. There's no 1985 or 2000 in the NFL this season. Heck, there's no 2017 or . You can make the case there isn't a single defense you can bank on -- week after week -- in 2018. It shaping up to be Chicago, but then injured his ankle. And I just cannot get out of my mind. So, I'm rolling with Dallas. The ' front seven is amazing: is a legit star; is becoming one, too. In the back end, is a vastly underrated cover man. Dallas ranks third in points allowed and fourth in total defense. The current 3-5 record is NOT on Rod Marinelli's group. 4) Dark-horse playoff candidate The candidates: -- -- -- And the winner is ... Give me the . I wish Frank Reich, who has done a wonderful job with this team, would've simply tied Houston. 3-4-1 would feel much better than 3-5. But clearly, . And hey, if the beat Jacksonville in the comfy confines of Lucas Oil Stadium -- and they should -- Indy can go on a run. is back. The line is solidified. can run. The defense is vastly improved. And is relatively easy. One side note: I expect the 4-4 to make a real push, too -- starting with wins over Cleveland and Dallas over the next two Sundays to hit 6-4. has been fantastic. My only hesitation on Atlanta is the strength of the division and the conference. A 6-2 or 5-3 second half is realistic, but it might not be enough. 5) Best division The candidates: -- AFC North -- NFC North -- NFC South And the winner is ... The vote goes to the NFC North. Chicago is currently winning the division at 5-3. The defense is strong. Matt Nagy has rediscovered . Mitch Trubisky hasn't even reached his stride yet -- that will happen in the second half. Meanwhile, the are hot on Chicago's heels at 5-3-1, especially now that they have and back. Minnesota's pa sing attack has been fantastic, as has been worth every penny thus far and has become an All-Pro receiver. Sure, the are 3-4-1, but they were Jake Kumerow Jersey away from beating the in Los Angeles and an fumble away from defeating the in New England. (OK, they won both.) While the (3-5) inexplicably dealt the week after picking up "Snacks" Harrison, they remain a dangerous last-place team, better than the cellar-dwellers in the AFC North (Cleveland) and NFC South (Tampa Bay). 6) Most exciting player to watch The candidates: -- , DT, -- , RB, -- , QB, And the winner is ... No offense to the other guys, but this one's easy: It's my guy Patty Mahomes. In his first season as an NFL starter, he's putting up video game numbers that have us turning to the record books on a weekly basis. But it's not just the raw stats -- it's the feel, it's the excitement that he generates with that otherworldly skill set of his. It's . It's the rockets on the move. It's the edge-of-your-seat feeling that you don't know what will happen next. Patty Mahomes is the best show in sports right now. 7) Slept-on star The candidates: -- , LT, -- , DE, -- , TE, And the winner is ... Kittle has been a top-two tight end in the NFL this year, alongside . It's been a rough season for San Francisco, but the second-year pro is a huge bright spot. You can easily make an All-Pro case for the tight end who comfortably leads the in catches (41) and receiving yards (692). At 6-foot-4 and 250 pounds, the guy is averaging 16.9 yards per catch! Stop sleeping on -- he is indeed a star. 8) Unsung hero The candidates: -- , QB, -- , DE, -- , C, And the winner is ... Dalton has been so Jordan Poyer Jersey good for Cincinnati and the ' explosive offense. He hasn't always received the best pre s, and he deserves to be recognized here. That said ... My vote goes to Kelly. Nelson gets most of the attention on Indy's O-line -- SEE: Section 2 above -- and rightfully so. But Kelly has been an absolute rock in the middle of the ' offensive front. This is the best protection has ever had in his pro career, and it starts with the pivot. 9) Best trade The candidates: -- ' blockbuster deal for Khalil Mack: Chicago sends two first-rounders, a third-rounder and a sixth-rounder to the in exchange for Mack, a second-rounder and a conditional fifth-rounder. -- ' bet on Josh Gordon: New England sends a fifth-rounder to the in exchange for Gordon and a seventh-rounder. -- ' low-key pickup of Cordarrelle Patterson: New England sends a fifth-rounder to the for Patterson and a sixth-rounder. And the winner is ... The fact that New England has two of the three candidates in this section is a win for the Pats. But the pulled off one of the greatest deals in sports history. A top-two defensive player in his prime! Certainly worth the price of acquisition. And Mack, who's getting healthy again, is going to catapult the into the playoffs over the next couple months. He immediately changed the entire feel of the organization, team and fan base. This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be mi sing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an i sue.
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