2026 Individual Award Projections
The race for individual accolades directly correlates with team success. Frontrunners for the league’s most prestigious honors have officially emerged:
| Award | Current Frontrunner | Primary Challenger |
|---|---|---|
| Most Valuable Player (MVP) | Patrick Mahomes (Chiefs) | C.J. Stroud (Texans) |
| Defensive Player of the Year | T.J. Watt (Steelers) | Micah Parsons (Cowboys) |
| Offensive Rookie of the Year | Caleb Williams (Bears) | Marvin Harrison Jr. (Cardinals) |
| Comeback Player of the Year | Aaron Rodgers (Steelers) | Nick Chubb (Browns) |
What to Track on Opening Weekend
As the season officially begins, structural shifts will happen instantly. Watch the lines, keep an eye on how newly signed practice squad depth impacts special teams, and stay locked into nflplayoff.com as we track every single team’s live postseason probabilities week by week! [1, 2]