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.
2. Josh Allen
He might just win another.
Josh Allen's Buffalo Bills are 6-1 at the time of writing, with the Wyoming product accounting for 11 touchdowns through the air, and a further nine on the ground, through those seven matches.
In the era of the dual-threat quarterback, Allen is exemplary in both disciplines. His 4.9 yards per carry on the ground is a number most starting running backs would hang their hat on, while his 1793 passing yards at a completion percentage over 65 per cent are also enough to keep him among the shield's elite gunslingers. His 8.7 yards per completion are the most of all quarterbacks to have completed five or more matches.
His division is a two-horse race - and one that his Bills have a strong lead in, already.
The Bills' run home is a mixed bag - four games against the lowly Dolphins and Jets sit scattered among tests against AFC rivals the Kansas City Chiefs, Denver Broncos and New England Patriots, while the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers figure to feature heavily in the NFC playoff picture, too.
If Allen can continue to pick apart defences with his arm and his legs the way he has to date, it would take something pretty special for voters to designate somebody else the league's most valuable player.
