NFL midseason awards: The good, the bad and the Dallas Cowboys

We’re at the turn of the 2026 NFL season, and it’s time to recognize the best (and not-so-best) players, teams and moments of the year to date. We’re doing this high-school-yearbook style, and we’re also doing this equitably — everyone gets an award, but everyone doesn’t get a good award, because not everyone deserves a good reward. (Howdy, Dallas.) And now, without further ado, the NFL Superlatives at the 2026 halfway (-ish) mark: Most Popular: Buffalo BillsEverybody loves Buffalo. Everybody’s very impressed by Buffalo. Everybody’s thinking Buffalo is headed to the Super Bowl. And everybody might be right! Just don’t think about how many popular kids peaked in high school … or, in this case, the regular season. Most Likely To Succeed: Chicago BearsThey announced their intentions with a 59-point eruption to start the season, and the Bears are still on track for a landmark year. Every element of this team was in place from the jump or upgraded via trade. Caution: Bears ahead.Class Clowns: Dallas CowboysNeed a good laugh? Watch Dallas’ defense try to contain an opponent in the final minutes of a game! You’ll never see anything quite so hapless and ridiculous in your life! (Not recommended for children or Dallas fans.)Cutest Couple: Joe Burrow & Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals Already the source of one of the NFL’s great quotes of the 2020s — “F– it, Ja’Marr’s down there somewhere” — Burrow & Chase are doing what they’ve done since their LSU days, and the rest of the league, starting with Buffalo, is eyeing them warily. BURROW. JA'MARR. TOUCHDOWN. CINvsATL on NFL NetworkStream on @NFLPluspic.twitter.com/hxTp4hwro5— NFL (@NFL) November 8, 2026Most Ambitious: Jacksonville JaguarsThe Jags are the nerd who spent the summer working out, getting contacts and learning a few dance moves. And now that they’ve shocked people with their good looks, they’re stealing lunch money (star players) from other nerds (the NFC South). This is one hell of a star-making arc they’re on. Most Athletic: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seattle SeahawksThe rest of the Super Bowl champion Seahawks may have regressed to the mean or to the blue medical tent, but Smith-Njigba is out there tearing it up solo, with more receiving yards (1,036) and touchdowns (9) than any other receivers in the game. Best Dressed: Washington CommandersRemember what we said about everybody getting an award? Yeah. Anyway, the Commanders’ burgundy unis harken back to the glory days of the franchise, when Washington was a Super Bowl champion, a perpetual contender, and one of the league’s must-watch teams. As opposed to now, when they are … not. Most Thoughtful: Jordan Love, Green Bay PackersLove is in the air, baby! Jordan’s 2,618 passing yards lead the NFL, and he’s generous with his touchdowns, distributing 7 to Christian Watson and 5 to Matthew Golden already. All you need is Love … and maybe a couple decent receivers, too. Most Defensive: Minnesota Vikings This is a two-way award. The Vikings are the most defense-minded team in the league, and they’ve racked up six wins and a current playoff berth that way. But they’re also defensive as in touchy, like when you mention that mayyyybe they shouldn’t have cut ties with a quarterback who went on to win the Super Bowl, or with a top-10 draft pick who’s now doing just fine in New York, or that they’re going backward (Kirk Cousins) to go forward. Defense wins championships, defensiveness doesn’t. Most Offensive (complimentary): San Francisco 49ers Just reliably winning game after game, scoring more touchdowns than any team in the NFL (31 to date) and controlling the mighty NFC West. If it turns out that electrical substation has been giving the 49ers super-powers, everyone’s going to want one. Most Offensive (not complimentary): Los Angeles ChargersIf ever a football team should be rated NC-17, it’s this one. Subjecting international audiences to the Chargers may in fact violate the Geneva Convention. May cause uncontrollable vomiting. Watch only under a doctor’s care. Most Creative: Tampa Bay BuccaneersBest way to protect your fragile quarterback? Don’t let him throw a pass. At all. The Bucs and Baker Mayfield got weird against the Falcons in a rainstorm a couple weeks back, and somehow managed to win a key divisional game without completing a single pass. (Points off for the game being against the Falcons, who could find a way to lose a football game against a baseball team.) Todd Bowles’ seat has gone from “nuclear” to “pleasantly warm on a winter’s morning.” The ‘He Can’t Keep Getting Away With This’ Award: Sean Payton and the Denver BroncosSomehow, Denver has won 16 straight one-possession games, a remarkable testament to the Broncos’ resilience, defensive rigidity and offensive adequacy. The Week 8 victory against Kansas City with the Chiefs on Denver’s goal line will stand as the most notable of the season until they can get one in February. Best Mascot: Carolina PanthersNo, not Sir Purr, though he’s cool. Mascot of the year is now Lennox, the corgi who got loose during a halftime show and piled up an impressive rushing total: One of the Corgis in the #Panthers Corgi Race decided to go rogue. Group effort to take him down 😂 #KeepPoundingpic.twitter.com/6LCnLTErDH— Kasey Funderburg (@K_Funderburg) November 8, 2026Great run with multiple broken tackles, but you’ve got to take it to the house, Lennox! End zone was right there!  Most Likely To Go Broke In Vegas: Detroit LionsYou can spot the signs of a shaky gambler a mile away: splitting 10s, doubling after every loss, going for it on 4th down in  your own territory. The Lions and Dan Campbell have survived so far, but the odds are coming for Detroit, one way or another. (No, Detroit doesn’t play Las Vegas this year. It was a metaphor.) Most Split Personality: Atlanta FalconsSome weeks, the Falcons look like absolute playoff contenders, fearsome on the ground and lethal through the air. And some weeks, they look like they’ve started the other team’s defense in their fantasy lineup. Is Michael Penix Jr. a strong quarterback with bad spurts, or a terrible quarterback with flashes of genius? The answer, of course, is yes. And also no. The Seventh Year Seniors: Kansas City ChiefsDid you ever look around a party back in high school and see somebody who was definitely too old to still be hanging around there? Yeah, that’s Kansas City. The quarterback is still cruising on the glories of his youth, the tight end went off and got married, and the head coach’s mustache continues to expand every year. Sure, there’s a new running back in town making everyone feel young again, but you have to wonder … how much longer are they all going to keep doing this? Most Likely to Lose Their Security Deposit: Tennessee TitansWhen you’re weeks from moving out of your old place, you don’t really much care if it gets trashed. That’s the Titans right now, just a few months away from moving into swanky new digs next door. So yeah, if you go to Old Nissan Stadium, go ahead, put a hole in the wall, throw some furniture out the window, burn your name into the turf. It’s all getting knocked down soon enough anyway. Nothing matters, especially not the standings. Most Likely To Host a Party When Parents Are Out of Town: New Orleans SaintsLook, if you can’t be the most popular or most athletic kid in class, at least make sure you can offer a cool place for everybody to hang out. Most Underachieving: Los Angeles RamsThere’s nothing worse than being tagged with “potential,” unless it’s being tabbed as “preseason Super Bowl pick.” The Rams sleepwalked — almost literally — through their opening game against San Francisco in Australia, and haven’t woken up since. Maybe the return of Myles Garrett can scare them out of their slumber?Gardner Minshew II warms up before the game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field on November 8, 2026 in Seattle, Washington.Alika Jenner via Getty ImagesBest Hang: Arizona Cardinals and Gardner MinshewThere was always one long-haired dude hanging around school — maybe he was a student, maybe he wasn’t — and everybody sort of gave him a wide berth. But when you get to know him, you’re surprised at how sharp and funny he is — and how he can jump up from lunch and guide your team to a win over the Dallas Cowboys, too. The ‘One Year Away From Being One Year Away’ Award: New York JetsDid you know that the Jets (as the standings now sit) have two of the first six picks, and three of the first 13, in next  year’s NFL draft? It’s true: they have their own, plus picks belonging to the Colts and Cowboys. How will the Jets manage to screw this up? Let’s watch and see!  The ‘Losing Texas’ Award: Houston TexansHouston went Full Minnesota — going all-in on defense and hoping the quarterback was competent enough to win games 10-7 and 7-3 — and, well, it hasn’t worked out yet. Two of their three wins have come against teams with a combined 1-15 record. The third came against division leader Jacksonville, so maybe there’s a scrap of hope. Most Likely to Run for President: Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh SteelersRodgers is doing a little low-key image rehab this year in Pittsburgh, methodically guiding the Steelers to a 6-2 record and a share of the AFC North lead. Rodgers says this is his last year in uniform, and we believe him, but will he remain silent in retirement? We’re just asking questions. Most Visits to the School Clinic: Philadelphia EaglesThe City of Brotherly Deductibles has had a rough 2026. You could make a pretty good starting lineup of Eagles players who have missed games this season (Jalen Hurts, Saquon Barkley, DeVonta Smith, Dallas Goedert, Nolan Smith…). With a bevy of draft picks in the years ahead, Philadelphia is just going to lie down until this feeling goes away. Most Likely to Change The Subject: New England PatriotsSo much not to talk about in New England these days! Is this quarterback the second coming of You Know Who, or just a lucky journeyman? Did the Pats get fat and happy on a soft schedule last year? And what exactly is the head coach’s new media policy? Next question. The ‘What Goes Up Always Comes Down’ Award: Cleveland BrownsAdmit it. You were a little unsettled when the Browns were 5-2 and leading the AFC North. Since then, they’ve lost two straight and are looking like the Browns we know so well. Order has been restored in the universe. The ‘Chicken Salad from Chicken S–t’ Award: New York GiantsBoy, the Giants were feeling fine after their Week 1 win over Dallas. And just as quickly, hopes deflated when Jaxson Dart went down with a season-ending injury in Week 2. But somehow, the Giants have cobbled together win after win, using quarterback after quarterback, and suddenly they’re dangerous. Granted, it’s a “is that stray dog going to beg for food or bite my face?” kind of dangerous, but it’s better than nothing. Lamar Jackson walks off the field after being injured against the Buffalo Bills during the first quarter at Highmark Stadium on November 1.Bryan Bennett via Getty ImagesThe ‘I Will Remember You’ Award: Baltimore RavensEverything was set up so well for Baltimore this season — new head coach, new offensive coordinator, new sense of joy and hope in the organization. And then Lamar Jackson suffered an ankle sprain in Week 4, followed by a thumb injury on the very first play of his return in Week 8, and the good vibes would return nevermore. Most Florida: Miami DolphinsLike the fabled Grand Theft Auto VI video game, the Miami Dolphins play in the neon-and-vice world of South Florida. Like GTAVI, the more you immerse yourself in the Dolphins, the more your moral center slips away. And like GTAVI, we’ve been waiting for the Dolphins to show up for so, so many years. The ‘Lighting Matches in a Fireworks Factory’ Award: Indianapolis ColtsAh, the AFC South, where a 2-7 record is good enough to be just a game out of second place. The Colts are headed for one of those surgical scourings, and everybody not named Irsay or Jonathan Taylor is at risk. At least they’ll have a high first-round pick … which they’ve already sent to the Jets. Whoops. Most Cheerful: Fernando Mendoza and the Las Vegas RaidersMendoza was a charismatic revelation last season as he led Indiana to a national championship and won the Heisman along the way. Drafted by Las Vegas, he spent the first half of the season behind Kirk Cousins … right up until Cousins was traded to Minnesota. Friendly Fernando thus gets his first NFL start against … the Super Bowl champion Seahawks. Let’s just see how long he keeps smiling through all that. Raiders fans just have to hope this isn’t the real-world version of the “I’m in Danger” meme.