Week 9 of the NFL campaign is almost over, with only a stylistic clash between the high-octane Buffalo Bills offence and the stout-as-they-come Minnesota Vikings defence remaining on the slate.
At the conclusion of that game, the regular season will officially be halfway to its conclusion.
That's as good a time as any, and a large enough sample size from which to start pontificating about just who the players most likely to feature in award discussions are going to be.
Whether it be for output that looks set to re-write record books, or for the sheer ability to keep a side decimated by injury competitive, we count down five players charting a course to the NFL's most prized individual honour; the Most Valuable Player gong.
5. Jordan Love
The fabled 'cheeseheads' that support the Green Bay Packers showered Jordan Love with 'MVP' chants as he left the Gillette Stadium Turf on Monday morning, Australian time, and for good reason.
Love helmed Green Bay to a road win as surprising as it was dominant over last year's AFC Super Bowl participant, the New England patriots.
A career year for the Utah State product is quite simply the only reason the Wisconsin natives are winning games, let alone very much alive in the NFC playoff race.
The Packers' running game is historically awful, and the offensive line needs to shoulder as much blame for that as the men tasked with toting the rock. Their kicker is among the NFL's worst, the side is one of the most heavily penalised in the landscape, and Love's receivers also 'boast' the unfortunate mantle of most drops in the league this season.
Against that backdrop, there is simply no way this franchise should find itself at 6-3, yet that is their reality.
Due to that non-existent running game, Love has had to air out the pigskin, and leads the league in passing yards as a result. He is second for yards per game, and fourth for passing touchdowns.
His numbers are not quite as healthy as some of his contemporaries, but when contextualised, they are just as impressive.
