NFL award rankings: Where does each race stand with 4 weeks to go?
The stretch run is officially here. As teams jockey for playoff position, players (and coaches) are also putting the final touches on their respective resumes for some of the NFL's top individual honors.
Here's a look at our top three in each major award race with four weeks to play.
MVP 🏆
A few other quarterbacks deserve legitimate consideration for the NFL's top individual honor, and perhaps they can close the gap with a strong finish to the season. As things currently stand, though, this is Stafford's race to lose. His statistical production while leading the charge for the best team in football sets him apart with four weeks to go. Stafford's 35 touchdowns are nine clear of the closest quarterback, and he's thrown just four interceptions. If the Rams emerge unscathed from upcoming games against the Lions and Seahawks, he could effectively wrap this one up.
Maye was a popular breakout candidate heading into Year 2, but nobody could have expected this kind of ascent. The former No. 3 overall pick has quickly established himself as the NFL's next superstar quarterback, helping New England become a true contender in the AFC. While the Patriots have probably benefited from a soft schedule in some ways, Maye's production has been outstanding regardless. He leads the league in completion percentage (71.5%) despite ranking fourth in air yards per attempt (8.8). We haven't seen a quarterback complete at least 71% of passes while averaging 8-plus air yards per attempt since PFF first tracked the metric in 2006. Maye could really give Stafford some competition if he can help the Patriots complete a sweep of the Bills this week and chase down the No. 1 seed.
You could make the case for several different players in the No. 3 spot. Jordan Love is playing the best football of his career, making the Packers a legitimate Super Bowl contender. The Cowboys can't quite say the same, but that's no knock on their offense's incredible production - Dak Prescott leads the league with 279.8 passing yards per game. Knowing that voters tend to zero in on the "value" part of the discussion, though, Allen must be in the mix. Buffalo's receiving corps is still dealing with some major shortcomings, and the defense is nothing like the unit we've seen for the majority of the Sean McDermott era. Yet the Bills still have a chance. That's the benefit of having a unicorn at the most important position on the field. Allen ranks third in EPA/dropback, according to TruMedia. And when you add in his 12 rushing scores, his 34 total touchdowns are only one shy of Stafford for the league lead.
Offensive Player of the Year 🏆
It sure feels like this one is over. Jonathan Taylor had a big lead at one point, and Jahmyr Gibbs has made a late surge, but nobody has come close to the consistent dominance of Smith-Njigba. Not this year, and perhaps not since Calvin Johnson's historic 2012 campaign. Seriously. JSN is on pace to finish the season with 1,867 receiving yards, putting him within striking distance of Johnson's single-season record (1,964). And these numbers aren't being attained through outsized volume: The Seahawks have the second-fewest pass attempts of any team this season. JSN putting up 4.08 yards per route run is the best mark we've seen since Johnson and a few others in 2012.
Taylor was briefly on pace to challenge LaDainian Tomlinson's single-season touchdown record. His scoring production has fallen off since, and it could take another sizable hit with an injury to Daniel Jones threatening to derail the Colts' season. But this will still go down as a phenomenal season for Taylor. The sixth-year back leads the league with 1,356 rushing yards and 18 total touchdowns. His 1,046 yards after contact, according to Next Gen Stats, exceed the overall rushing totals of all but four other running backs across the league.
The Lions' offense has taken a bit of a step back this year. Losing Ben Johnson was always going to hurt, the interior offensive line isn't the same without Frank Ragnow, and the passing attack is really missing Sam LaPorta since he went down with a back injury in Week 10. Gibbs is the reason Detroit still has a fighting chance. The do-it-all weapon continues to, well, do it all for this offense. Gibbs currently ranks fifth in rushing yards (1,062), second in yards per carry (5.7), and second in rushing touchdowns (13). He's also second among all running backs in receptions (58), third in receiving yards (474), and tied for fifth with three touchdowns. His 16 total scores put him second only to Taylor.
Defensive Player of the Year 🏆
Garrett's chase for history makes this one a bit of a runaway. The Browns superstar has 20 sacks through 13 games, putting him just three shy of breaking the single-season record shared by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. While a three-win Cleveland team might have a hard time getting him into game scripts that would aid his pursuit, that certainly hasn't stopped him to this point. Racking up five sacks in a blowout loss to the Patriots and adding another four in a loss to the Ravens two weeks later is a nice way to sum up Garrett's incredible season. It doesn't much matter what's going on around him. Garrett is seeing double-teams on 56.51% of his pass-rush attempts, second among all edge rushers, according to PFF - and he's still unblockable.
Parsons would be a lock for the top defensive honors were it not for an all-time season from Garrett. The Packers should have zero regrets about the price they paid to pry him away from the Cowboys just before the season. He's been exactly the kind of player they thought they were getting. Parsons is tied for third with 12.5 sacks and 74 pressures. He's getting pressure on 19.2% of pass-rush attempts despite facing double-teams (56.8%) and triple-teams (11.2%) more than any other edge defender in football. In other words, he's completely changing the way offenses game plan for the Packers, creating opportunities for teammates to exploit one-on-one matchups. And despite the extra attention, he's still finding ways to produce at an All-Pro level.
The Texans' defense has been one of the best stories of the season. This group is straight-up bullying opponents on a weekly basis, centered on its ability to terrorize opposing quarterbacks with a standard four-man rush. Anderson is the key to it all. The former first-rounder has taken another significant step toward joining the NFL's elite group of pass-rushers, racking up 10.5 sacks and leading the league with a 21.5% pressure rate.
Offensive Rookie of the Year 🏆
Voters for this category tend to favor quarterbacks more than they probably should. And while I'm arguably doing that here - Dart's only started eight games - sample size won't be an issue if he can finish out the last four games healthy. The first-round rookie acquitting himself well, and potentially laying the groundwork for a bright future, has really softened the blow of another disappointing season in New York. Dart ranks 15th among all quarterbacks in EPA/dropback, throwing 11 touchdowns to just three interceptions despite a lack of playmaking talent around him. He's also been quick to establish himself as one of the league's best runners at the position, tying for fifth in rushing yards (337) and ranking third in touchdowns (7).
McMillan somehow became a bit of a polarizing prospect leading up to the 2025 NFL Draft. Those conversations seem silly now, don't they? The Panthers rookie has been everything this offense could have hoped for, quickly emerging as a go-to target for Bryce Young. McMillan entered Week 12 ranked 12th among all receivers in yards (826) and tied for 11th with six touchdowns. The Panthers going into the stretch run at 7-6, giving them a chance at their first division title since 2015, simply doesn't happen without McMillan putting the receiving corps on his back as a rookie.
Egbuka was the clear favorite after the first half of this season, as he'd really stepped up to save the Bucs' offense amid some early injury issues. 2025 is still going to go down as a fantastic debut season for him, setting the stage for a really great pro career. The first-round receiver has accumulated an impressive 58 catches for 870 yards and six touchdowns coming out of Thursday night's game. But he has lost a bit of steam of late, with his overall production being hurt by some issues with drops.
Defensive Rookie of the Year 🏆
Schwesinger has steadily built what may prove to be an insurmountable lead in the race for Defensive Rookie of the Year. While the Browns still have high hopes for Mason Graham, Schwesinger has been the far more impactful rookie right out of the gate. The second-round pick does it all for Cleveland, impacting the game as a run defender, in pass coverage, and even as a blitzer from the second level. The UCLA product ranks seventh with 119 tackles and is tied for second among all off-ball linebackers with 10 tackles for loss. He's added a pair of interceptions and 1.5 sacks in the pass game.
Emmanwori has been an incredible weapon for Mike Macdonald's defense. The Seahawks are taking full advantage of the second-round rookie's unique skill set, lining him up all over the formation. While such a role could present quite the challenge for a player still finding his footing at the professional level, Emmanwori has been up to the task. He's recorded 53 tackles, one interception, and 1.5 sacks, and he leads all rookie defensive backs with 11 pressures.
Carter's rookie season has been a bit of an adventure. The No. 2 overall pick has been benched for disciplinary reasons on two separate occasions, and he still has just 1.5 sacks through 13 games. While either of the Falcons' first-round pass-rushers (Jalon Walker, James Pearce Jr.) might have a case to appear in this spot as a result, a closer look at Carter still reveals an impact player. The Penn State product's 44 pressures are 11 clear of the closest rookie. That also puts him 23rd among all defenders so far this year. A closing stretch that includes games against the Vikings and Raiders, two of the NFL's worst offenses in pass protection, gives Carter a chance to turn those pressures into some sacks before the season ends.
Comeback Player of the Year 🏆
McCaffrey has been everything for the 49ers' offense. A crowded field in the race for Offensive Player of the Year probably keeps him out of the mix there, but he seems like a lock in this category. The star running back has picked up right where he left off after missing all but four games last season, with his 1,655 total yards from scrimmage accounting for 36.1% of San Francisco's total output this year. His 322 touches are 40 more than any other player in the league through 13 games, and his 1,062-yard receiving pace puts him on track to break the running back record (1,048) set by Marshall Faulk in 1999.
The scrutiny that comes with playing quarterback for the Cowboys has long made Prescott one of the game's most underrated stars. Dallas made a big move to improve his receiving corps, acquiring George Pickens to pair with CeeDee Lamb and creating an ideal bounce-back scenario for Prescott as he returned from last year's season-ending hamstring tear. And he's delivered in a big way. Prescott leads the league with 3,637 passing yards, throwing 26 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. This could have been a really special Cowboys season were it not for the disaster first half from the defense.
Everyone would have understood if Hutchinson took a little time to recapture his previous level of play after missing the end of last season due to a gruesome leg injury. The Lions superstar had no interest in any sort of ramp-up period. Hutchinson looks every bit the player he was before his long layoff, having recorded 8.5 sacks and a league-best 80 pressures. He's also tied for second with four forced fumbles, matching his career total coming into this year.
Coach of the Year 🏆
Exceeding expectations tends to be the most important factor in the race for Coach of the Year. Much of the football world anticipated Vrabel would get New England headed in the right direction, but he wasted no time in orchestrating one of the biggest turnarounds NFL history. The Patriots, who finished last season at 4-13, are in the mix for the AFC's No. 1 seed at 11-2. While much of the improvement will be attributed to Drake Maye's MVP-caliber breakout, none of it happens without Vrabel immediately building a winning culture. The veteran head coach gets the credit for bringing Josh McDaniels back to oversee Maye's development, and the defense - tied for eighth in EPA/play - has been completely remade under his watch.
Not many people could have expected the Seahawks to end up in the playoffs, let alone push for the top seed in the NFC. Macdonald's defense has been the driving force, but he's shown this season that he's much more than a defensive guru. Moving on from Ryan Grubb after just one year as offensive coordinator and tabbing Klint Kubiak as his replacement laid the foundation for some significant progress on the other side of the ball, too. Macdonald probably needs to have another stroke of genius up his sleeve, as Kubiak figures to be a top head coaching candidate in the offseason. Such is life as one of the best programs in the NFL.
Shanahan's case is more about circumstances than expectations. There have been countless moments where it seemed like the 49ers' season was about to go down the drain - nearly all of them a result of injuries. Brock Purdy played just two of the first 10 games, George Kittle and Ricky Pearsall both spent time on injured reserve, and Brandon Aiyuk still hasn't played this season. The defensive losses were even more significant, as Nick Bosa went down with a torn ACL in Week 3 and Fred Warner with a fractured and dislocated ankle in Week 6. Yet the 49ers are still 9-4 and in possession of the NFC's No. 6 seed. Keeping this thing afloat affirms Shanahan's status as one of the best in the business.
Dan Wilkins is theScore's senior NFL writer.