With week nine in the books of the 2018-19 NFL season, the first half has seen its fair share of surprises. Between the first few weeks filled with ties, the Dallas Cowboys trading a first round pick for Amari Cooper, the emergence of Patrick Mahomes and the competitiveness in the NFC, many things have stood out.

The second-year quarterback, Mahomes has filled in the void of Alex Smith perfectly, making the Chiefs offense the most productive in the league with weapons that feature Tyreek Hill, Kareem Hunt and Travis Kelce. The defending AFC champion Patriots still look to be a team to beat with the Steelers also in the picture, even likely being without LeVeon Bell for the season.

In the NFC, the Rams looked to be the clear-cut winner of the conference after starting 8-0, but fell short to the Saints, who have emerged as the number one threat in the conference. The Eagles don’t seem to be the team they were a year ago, and with multiple injuries on defense, the Falcons don’t seem to be a factor.

Playoff picture:

AFC- Patriots, Chiefs, Steelers, Texans

Wildcards- Chargers and Titans

After starting the season 1-2, the Patriots have soared and won six straight before losing to the Titans. They should hold onto the AFC East until after week 17.

The Chiefs have the best record in the conference and hold a lead over the Chargers in the West.

After decimating the Panthers on Thursday night, the Steelers have improved to 6-2-1, holding onto the first place spot in the North and have won their last five games.

The Chargers’ two losses have come from the Chiefs and Rams, arguably the two best teams in the league, and will finish as the fifth seed in the conference. The Titans will fall short in the South to the Texans who are on a six-game winning streak, but will probably claim the last wildcard spot.

NFC- Saints, Rams, Bears, Eagles

Wildcards- Panthers and Vikings

The Saints and Rams are the two best teams in the NFC, and I feel like one of the two teams will make the Super Bowl out of the NFC. The Vikings could emerge, as well as the Eagles who have gotten better down the stretch with Carson Wentz.

MVP candidates: Mahomes, Drew Brees, Todd Gurley and Tom Brady. It’s easy to say Mahomes will win the award. Through nine games, he has registered a league-leading 3,434 yards along with 31 touchdowns and has been exceeding expectations in his first year as a starting quarterback. Brees has been playing like he’s 25 in his 18th season. Leading the 8-1 Saints, Brees has 2,601 yards with 21 touchdowns and only one interception. Brady is never out of MVP discussion. Dealing with injuries and suspensions early, Brady has still played like every other year and continues to play well each week.

Coach of the Year candidates: Sean McVay, Sean Peyton and Andy Reid. McVay, the youngest coach in the league has put the Rams in win-now mode, acquiring players like Brandin Cooks, Dante Fowler and Marcus Peters to boost their chances of winning this year and it’s paid off so far. Peyton has led the Saints to an 8-1 record thus far, and looks to be in his seventh playoff appearance and Reid looks like a genius so far for trading away Smith and going all out on Mahomes, leading them to a 9-1 record.