Staff Picks: Rest of 2026 (Week 2 Is a Dare)

DEMOSATIREFiled Sep 17, 2026 · Corrected Sep 18, 2026 · Rookie picks added Oct 14, 2026

Week 2 is not a mandate. It is a dare. So every voice in the newsroom filed a rest-of-season ballot while it was still embarrassing to do so. One table. Five categories. Nobody edits anybody else’s picks.

Categories: MVP · Super Bowl champion · Offensive or overall ROY (as each voice defines it) · Coach of the Year · Most disappointing team vs current public expectation

Correction — Sep 18, 2026: An earlier version named Jim Harbaugh as the Giants coach; the correct name is John Harbaugh. It also listed Kenneth Walker III, Isaiah Likely, Jaxson Dart and Cam Skattebo in 2026 Rookie of the Year rows. Walker and Likely entered the NFL in 2022; Dart and Skattebo in 2025. We withdrew those entries.

Update — Oct 14, 2026: The rookie rows below were filed on Oct 14, after four weeks of games, not on Sep 17. Every pick is a 2026 draftee, and stats are through Week 4.

Chip Absolute

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Josh Allen	Loudest remaining argument for “this is still his league,” and Chip needs something to scream about in January.
Super Bowl	Buffalo Bills	New building, old hunger, and Chip refuses to pretend the ceremony energy isn’t half the product.
ROY (added Oct 14)	Jeremiyah Love (ARI)	No. 3 pick, Arizona’s lead back, 55 carries in four games. Chip picks the guy who gets the ball and dares you to pick the guy who doesn’t.
COY	John Harbaugh (NYG)	First-week possession bully energy. Chip crowns vibes; Wes can argue the math later.
Most disappointing	Dallas Cowboys	Public expectation still acts like October is optional. Chip expects the group chat to age poorly.

Wes

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Lamar Jackson	Best remaining marriage of scheme leverage and forced-choice defense — math that survives contact.
Super Bowl	Baltimore Ravens	Conversion equity + complementary football; Wes does not trust vibes when the ballot has better math.
ROY (added Oct 14)	Denzel Boston (CLE)	Ten of his first 13 catches went for a first down or a touchdown. That isn’t highlight luck. It’s a conversion rate.
COY	John Harbaugh	Quiet conversion excellence over viral debut theater.
Most disappointing	New York Jets	Public expectation still prices competence; Wes prices decision quality until proven otherwise.

Postcard Pete

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Not yet	September MVP talk is a postcard, not a passport. Ask him in December.
Super Bowl	Detroit Lions	Will pick a real team — and will refuse every midseason “proves the conference” article until January.
ROY	Not yet	Four good weeks is a nice postcard. Ask again after Thanksgiving.
COY	Dan Campbell	A real yes from Pete: a culture that has already survived a blown-lead narrative earns his vote.
Most disappointing	Kansas City Chiefs (vs dynasty expectation)	Public still prices rings as default. Pete prices sample size. One Walker night is not a dynasty renewal.

Chyron Carl

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Patrick Mahomes	Still the name the chyron knows how to sell on a cold Monday.
Super Bowl	Kansas City Chiefs	Platform gravity + December TV real estate; Carl is honest about what the booth wants.
ROY (added Oct 14)	Carnell Tate (TEN)	No. 4 pick with a nine-catch, 145-yard game already on the reel. The highlight package is basically pre-cut.
COY	Andy Reid	The chyron already has the font.
Most disappointing	Miami Dolphins (vs summer hype reel)	Preseason chyrons wrote a thriller; Carl expects the editing bay to need a softer cut.

Layover Len

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Brock Purdy	Week-early to Melbourne and still the one asking questions at the end. Arrival ops as résumé.
Super Bowl	San Francisco 49ers	Already proved a week-early pack job on another continent; Len respects the itinerary.
ROY (added Oct 14)	Kenyon Sadiq (NYJ)	First-round tight end who had to learn the job early and still put up 105 yards in Week 3. Len respects anyone who unpacks fast.
COY	Kyle Shanahan	Packs early. Wins the matchup before kickoff.
Most disappointing	Los Angeles Rams (vs “we’ll be fine by Sunday” travel assumption)	Day-before packing is a choice. Len keeps the receipt.

Boo Atlas

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	Jalen Hurts	The building already voted. Boo just counts the throats.
Super Bowl	Philadelphia Eagles	Neutral sites still remember what a hostile building feels like; Philly exports that weather.
ROY (added Oct 14)	KC Concepcion (CLE)	28 targets in four games. When a building keeps calling one name, Boo listens.
COY	Nick Sirianni	Keeps a building pointed in one direction when the scoreboard wobbles.
Most disappointing	Las Vegas Raiders (vs “destination franchise” talk)	Public expectation sells neon. Boo sells empty noise after halftime.

Poor Form Desk

Category	Pick	One-line why
MVP	We’ll cite the play. We’ll fight about what it meant.	Brand voice stays rare; Desk declines a fourth fake consensus.
Super Bowl	File under “ask us in February”	Pin stays up either way.
ROY	Ask us after Thanksgiving	The Desk agrees with Pete, which happens about once a season.
COY	The coach whose fourth downs Wes can diagram without a novel	House points at the call, not vibes.
Most disappointing	Any team the timeline already crowned in Week 1	Desk’s job is the receipt, not the parade permit.

How to read this

Chip picks fights fans can forward.
Wes picks the call that still stands after a bad bounce.
Pete waits on careers but says yes when a pick is required, which is why it's Lions and Campbell.
Carl admits what television wants.
Len / Boo stay in travel and throats — specific names, no fake medical jet-lag.
Desk mostly refuses to play — on purpose.

Picks may be refreshed. Not advice of any kind.

— Poor Form Desk · staff ballot · Sep 17, 2026

Sources

NFL.com, offensive rookie rankings, Week 4