Big picture

Given the recent history between these teams, it's hardly a surprise that the series is level at 1-1. For both of them, though, these games are much more about looking to the future - and the T20 World Cup in Australia, which is less than a year away - than dwelling on the past.

Partly for that reason, England are using the series to take a look at fringe candidates who could force their way into that squad. So days like Saturday - when the inexperience is obvious and expresses itself in batting collapses, poor choices with the ball or, as was the case in Wellington, fielding errors - are probably unavoidable.

With that in mind, they look set to continue to experiment in the third match. Tom Banton looks likely to come into the side in place of the rested Jonny Bairstow, while there may be a temptation to look at leg-spinner Matt Parkinson, too. Chris Jordan, who has been England's player of the series, could drop out safe in the knowledge that his long-term position is secure, while Sam Curran has also made a fine impression.

Even while accepting there is a bigger picture than victory in this series, England will be looking to improve markedly in the field. For while the England management will accept the odd spilled catch - there were four or five at Wellington, depending on harsh a judge you may be - they are less likely to tolerate any sense of timidity in the field. It's an area they will have to improve if they are to challenge in Australia.

New Zealand aren't at full strength either. With Kane Williamson to miss the T20I series and Trent Boult not expected back until the fourth match, they have relatively few options among their 13-man squad. With leg-spin proving expensive in the series to date, though, they may be tempted to play an extra seamer.

They won in Wellington largely due to their superior fielding, but they may be just a little concerned by the lack of runs from their top order. Martin Guptill at least registered his highest score in 12 international matches (dating back to June 1) but none of their batsmen have yet scored more than 44 in the series. Ross Taylor, who to be fair has slipped into the middle order, hasn't made a T20I half-century since March 2014.

Form guide

England LWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)

New Zealand WLLWW

In the spotlight

Mitchell Santner is not, at first glance, an especially eye-catching cricketer. But with his excellent control, his extravagant changes of pace and his intelligence, he has developed into a fine limited-overs bowler who is currently not only the leading wicket-taker in the series (he has taken six; three in each match) but also the most economical (of those who have delivered more than two overs) going for exactly a run-a-ball. His success looks particularly admirable when compared to the other spinners, both leggies, in the series: Adil Rashid and Ish Sodhi have each taken two wickets in the series and are conceding their runs at 8.87 and 9.37 an over respectively. He was man of the match in Wellington and is currently fifth in the global T20I bowling rankings.

It's probably unfair to expect too much too soon fromTom Banton. He is just 20-years-old, after all. But such was the invention, such was the power, such was the audacity of his batting for Somerset this season, that comparisons with Jos Buttler and Kevin Pietersen have not only been made but are understandable. He showed an appetite for the big occasion when top-scoring (equal with James Hildreth) as Somerset won the Royal London One-day Cup final at Lord's and was the highest England-qualified run-scorer in the T20 Blast with four fifties and a century from his 13 innings. His run-rate in that competition - an eye-watering 161.47 - underlined his dominance and he was named both the Professional Cricketers' Association and the Cricket Writers' Club young player of the year for the 2019 season. His form on this tour to date has not been especially promising - he made 6 and 11 in his two warm-up innings - but it may be some encouragement to him to recall that he made a century in his most recent Youth ODI against New Zealand in Queenstown in January 2018.

Team news

With a squad of just 13 for these first three games, New Zealand's options are limited. They looked stronger in Wellington with the recall of Jimmy Neesham for Scott Kuggeleijn but, with an eye to the future, may be tempted to take another look at either bowling all-rounder Kuggeleijn or medium-fast seamer Blair Tickner, who has played only one international; a T201 victory over India. Ish Sodhi looks the most vulnerable if New Zealand decide they require only one spinner. Lockie Ferguson, who has bowled with impressive pace and control, is set to play his final game of the series before Trent Boult replaces him in the squad for the last two matches.

New Zealand (possible): 1 Martin Guptill, 2 Colin Munro, 3 Tim Seifert (wk), 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Colin de Grandhomme, 6 Daryl Mitchell, 7 Mitchell Santner, 8 Jimmy Neesham, 9 Tim Southee (capt), 10 Lockie Ferguson, 11 Ish Sodhi

Banton looks set to come in for Jonny Bairstow in this game, with Dawid Malan expected to make way for the final two games. That means Malan may need to make quite an impression here if he is to see off the inevitable return of Jos Buttler, Jason Roy, Ben Stokes et al. There may be a temptation to take a look at Matt Parkinson, too, though such has been the fate of leg-spinners in the series he could face a tough baptism. If Parkinson does play, it may have to be in place of fellow leggie Adil Rashid. Rashid still looks a bit out of sorts, leading to fears that his shoulder injury is a little worse than he likes to admit. Given Lewis Gregory's fine start with the ball in the previous game - he became the latest man to start his international career with a first-ball wicket - Eoin Morgan may feel he can trust him to a larger role in that department.

England (possible): 1 Dawid Malan, 2 Tom Banton, 3 James Vince, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Sam Billings (wk), 6 Lewis Gregory, 7 Sam Curran, 8 Chris Jordan, 9 Tom Curran/Saqib Mahmood, 10 Adil Rashid/Matt Parkinson, 11 Pat Brown

Pitch and conditions

This is very early season in New Zealand. Indeed, there had never been an earlier international game on the South Island than the series opener in Christchurch, So while the boundaries at Saxton Park - about 160 miles north of Christchurch, on the northern coast of the South Island - are not especially long and while the weather is set fair (cloudy and a bit windy but dry), it would be a miracle if the ground staff were able to coax much pace from this wicket. For that reason, there may be just a little grip for spinners or cutters and just a little difficulty in timing the ball for batsmen.

Stats and trivia

• The mayor of Nelson, Rachel Reese, is married to former Somerset (and, briefly, Yorkshire and Central Districts) batsman Richard Harden.

• This is only the second T20I at the Saxton Oval in Nelson. New Zealand won the previous one, against West Indies, at the end of 2017. New Zealand have won six of the seven completed ODIs they have played at the ground; Sri Lanka beat them on New Year's Eve in 2015 while the match between the same sides a few days later was lost to the weather. England's men have never played an international game at the ground.

• The ground is named in memory of a Shropshire-born John Saxton who farmed in the region - he was something of a pioneer in realising the value of sheep farming on such land - as well as providing invaluable information for future generations as a diarist and painter.

  Stats that matter

• Tim Southee requires two wickets to become the eighth man to claim 75 T20I wickets.

• Adil Rashid requires one more wicket to draw level with Jade Dernbach as the fourth-highest T20I wicket-taker for England. Dernbach took 39 T20I wickets. Only Graeme Swann (51), Chris Jordan (52) and Stuart Broad (65) have more for England.

• Colin Munro requires 41 runs to draw level with Kane Williamson's run-tally of 1,505 for New Zealand in T20Is. The pair have played the same number of games (57), though Williamson has batted once more often. Only three men (Martin Guptill, Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor) have scored more T20I runs for New Zealand than Williamson.

• Eoin Morgan requires 32 runs to move equal 10th in the list of the top T20I run-scores of all time. He is currently 12th.

• England have won 11 and lost six of the 18 T20Is played between the nations. One game was lost to the weather.

Quotes

"That's probably my most common question: have you gotten over it yet? I don't think it's about getting over it, it's just accepting it. It will be there forever, you can't change it. It doesn't mean you have to dwell on it any more than a fleeting thought every now and then."
Jimmy Neesham reflects on the World Cup

"We want guys continuing to attack the ball and find themselves in hot spots if they're good enough."
Eoin Morgan expects better from England's fielders after a disappointing display in Wellington

Quinton de Kock believes Faf du Plessis will still lead South Africa in next year's T20 World Cup in Australia but said he would probably not turn down the opportunity if asked to captain in the format.

The wicketkeeper-batsman, who captained South Africa in their recent T20I series in India, has been appointed skipper of the Cape Town Blitz for the second edition of the Mzansi Super League and is being seen as a successor to du Plessis in the shortest format.

With back-to-back T20 World Cups in 2020 and 2021, it may not be long before de Kock is at the helm, and it's a role he would welcome.

"The way I see it is that I was just a replacement," de Kock told ESPNcricinfo. "That's the way I took it. For now, it's still Faf's baby. But maybe if things change and they do want me to do it, then I will do it.

"For the moment, I am not looking too far ahead. I am just trying to look at how I can help out with the youngsters, with the new guys in the T20 team and by myself, just getting better and getting ready for the T20 World Cup next year. But if that does come upon me, then I will try and grab it with both hands."

He did exactly that when Blitz coach Ashwell Prince approached him at the MSL draft on September 3. "Ash came to me at the draft and asked me if I want to do it and I said, 'Ja, no problem.' It was pretty quick and easy. I don't think there was much discussion around it. He just asked me right there and then and I said yes," de Kock said, speaking at the Cape Town Blitz media day.

"We [South Africa] are not the first team that has gone through a transition. England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing" Quinton de Kock

Prince had a good reason to ask de Kock - that his team needed the stability of a leader who would be around for the full five-and-half-weeks of the tournament. Last season, Blitz were led by Dawid Malan for the first two matches before Farhaan Behardien took over on his return from international duty in Australia. With Malan not involved in this year's event and Behardien playing for the Nelson Mandela Bay Giants, Prince had to find someone else, someone who would also bring form and the ability to think on his feet. De Kock, fresh off two half-centuries in his first two matches as South Africa's T20I captain, and known for his no-frills approach to playing, seemed to be the perfect fit.

"He leads from the front as a player but he is also streetwise," Prince said. "I like people who can see what's required on the ground and can make calls and be brave and I think he does all of those things."

De Kock will also need to do a bit more. His new role means he will open the batting, keep wickets and lead the side, a trio of tasks that became too much for even the likes of AB de Villiers, who did not open but had a similarly important role of setting the tone in white-ball innings.

In keeping with his carefree nature, de Kock is not fussed about the workload. "It's nothing too difficult - keeping and batting, and the keeping will help out my captaincy anyway," he said. "Rather than being out in the field, I seem to read things better, how the pitch plays, which bowlers to bowl when, the angles and all that kind of stuff when I am keeping. I feel like the keeping helps my batting and also my captaincy."

This season of the MSL could confirm if de Kock is indeed equipped to perform all three tasks and may also tell whether he is seriously considered for the national job in the near future. Asked if that's where he sees de Kock's career going, Prince said: "Why not? He is still quite young. He hasn't captained a lot but everyone has to start somewhere. He has had a bit of a taste of it and I think he can grow in the role."

De Kock's only stint with captaincy before the India series was in an ODI series against Sri Lanka in 2018 after du Plessis suffered a shoulder injury. South Africa had already clinched the series, winning the first three ODIs, but went on to lose the last two matches which de Kock captained. That instance was considered nothing more than an emergency replacement but it marked the start of a downward spiral for South Africa, which saw them lose five Tests in a row in Asia, and three out of their last four Test series. Their white-ball form also dipped and a disastrous World Cup followed, which has left South African cricket on the brink of a crisis.

But de Kock is one of very few players to have weathered the storm. He is South Africa's highest run-scorer in Test cricket this year and third overall, with 584 runs at an average of 44.92 and their second-highest ODI run-scorer this year after du Plessis, with 774 runs in 17 games at 48.37. De Kock also finished as the third-highest run-scorer at the IPL this season and his form could give South Africa some hope that a revival is not far off.

"We are not the first team that has gone through a transition," de Kock said. "England did it after their last World Cup and look at them. Four years later, they end up winning the thing."

With England the visitors this summer, there's motivation in opposition camp for South Africa to start putting things right. But de Kock also pointed to the national team's triumph at the Rugby World Cup as a rallying point for cricket to get itself back on track.

"It's alright if the whole country and guys are a bit down and out but when we all gather together, especially after winning this Rugby World Cup, a lot of people are pumped up and want to get this transition going so the time we get to our next World Cup, we can really put ourselves in a good stead, just like England did."

Big Picture

The rains in New South Wales and across the east coast of Australia this week brought so much relief to farmers in the drought-stricken region that there were videos of people dancing and celebrating in the streets. One set of foreigners who might gladly have partaken in such merriment was the visiting Pakistan cricket team in Sydney, staring defeat in the face when the heavens opened, forcing the abandonment of a game that Australia looked to be easing through.

While that means Aaron Finch's men don't go to Canberra with a 1-0 lead, they do enter the contest with significant momentum. Australia are on something of a T20I tear at the moment, having won their last five completed games. They swatted Sri Lanka aside 3-0 just last week, the team that less than a month ago did the same to Pakistan in Lahore. David Warner finds himself in irresistible form again, as does Finch, who looked imperious in the short time Australia got to bat before the weather intervened. The bowlers, too, Adam Zampa excepted, had solid outings carrying on from the Sri Lanka series.

Meanwhile, Pakistan suddenly find themselves in disarray in their most-favoured format of the last three years. In the first game, they scraped their way to a somewhat respectable total, down almost solely to new captain Babar Azam's exquisite half-century. There is the caveat of the rain bringing a somewhat abrupt conclusion to the innings, but it's hard to argue Pakistan were pacing themselves effectively either; regular loss of wickets combined with watertight discipline from Australia's bowlers meant any total they put up in the allotted 20 would have ended up being somewhat below par.

The visitors must be careful not to let the second game also become a one-man batting effort. The sample size for the bowling isn't enough to jump to drastic conclusions, but on the evidence of the two overs Mohammad Irfan bowled, there's little to explain why the 37-year-old was brought out from the cold to join Pakistan on what has historically been their most challenging tour. On the whole, the visitors looked alarmingly off the pace in the first game, and this is their opportunity to demonstrate that it was something of an aberration.

Form guide

Australia WWWWW (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Pakistan LLLLW

In the spotlight

For a game where Australia's bowlers had a leash on Pakistan, the only surprise was the slightly off-colour performance of Adam Zampa. The legspinner was crucial to his side's success in the series against Sri Lanka, and comes into this tour in good form. He didn't get too much turn to assist him in Sydney, but Pakistan will have noted how quickly Zampa reverted to flatter, fuller deliveries when put under pressure by Mohammad Rizwan and Asif Ali. If they can get the legspinner to do that more often, he loses some of the wicket-taking threat Australia prize him for.

Every follower of Pakistan cricket will have dreaded the moment they needed to worry about Fakhar Zaman's place in the T20I side, but it's now becoming difficult to turn a blind eye to it. The opener's torrid run in the format continued in Sydney with a second consecutive golden duck. It is now 11 innings since he last managed 25 in a T20I innings, a match-winning 91 in Harare against Australia in the final of a T20I tri-series. Right now, Fakhar looks worlds removed from the player who was capable of such sustained hitting, and for Pakistan to have a good start, that needs to change immediately.

Team news

Given how well the contest in Sydney turned out for them, it would be unsurprising to see Australia line up with the same team in Canberra.

Australia (probable): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch (capt), 3 Steven Smith, 4 Ben McDermott, 5 Ashton Turner, 6 Alex Carey (wk), 7 Ashton Agar, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mitchell Starc, 10 Adam Zampa, 11 Kane Richardson

There hasn't been much out of Pakistan's camp over potential changes, and so early into the tour, it would be odd if there were a raft of them. It feels inevitable Usman Qadir will play at least one of the remaining two games, but on the tiny evidence from Sunday, the only bowler whose place might be under scrutiny is Irfan.

Pakistan (probable): 1 Babar Azam (capt), 2 Fakhar Zaman/Imam-ul-Haq, 3 Haris Sohail, 4 Mohammad Rizwan (wk), 5 Asif Ali, 6 Imad Wasim, 7 Iftikhar Ahmed, 8 Wahab Riaz 9 Shadab Khan, 10 Mohammad Amir, 11 Mohammad Irfan/Mohammad Musa

Pitch and conditions

It is expected to be a fairly cool evening in Canberra, with temperatures perhaps dropping under ten degrees by the time the game finishes. The Manuka Oval has never hosted a T20I before, so how the pitch plays in those conditions is something of an unknown.

Stats and trivia

• The second T20I will be the 1001st match of its kind. The first of this series was the 999th, with Bangladesh's last-over win against India in Delhi being the 1000th.

• Australia's last T20I loss came three weeks shy of a year ago when India beat them by six wickets in Sydney.

• Before this series, Australia had only once previously played Pakistan in a T20I on Australian soil - in February 2010. The only two players who played then and are also in the current squads are Smith and Warner.

Quotes

"It's nice to have Mitchell Starc running in with the new ball and then at the death and the spinners through the middle. Kane Richardson is fantastic with the new ball and at the death and Pat Cummins wherever you need him. It's a really well-balanced squad at the moment with the two at the top, Mr Fix-it, and a couple of finishers."
Alex Carey is content with the current Australian side

Ireland's Amy Kenealy has ended an 11-year career, announcing her retirement from international cricket.

The 31-year old seamer finished with 45 wickets from 72 matches across formats. That put her in 12th place on the list of most successful Irish bowlers in women's cricket.

Kenealy made her international debut in June 2008, against West Indies, on her club cricket home ground in Rathmines and played her last game for Ireland in July 2018.

"It is with all sorts of mixed emotions I am stepping away from the Ireland Women's international team, but this is the correct decision for me right now," she said in a Cricket Ireland press release issued on Monday. "I would like to take this opportunity to thank my team-mates, coaches and Cricket Ireland staff for every opportunity that they have given me in this amazing part of my life - from the gruelling fitness sessions on Clontarf seafront back in 2006 to the amazing Sport Ireland Institute, to playing in men's Division 12, to opening the bowling in a [T20] World Cup in India and everything in between.

"I've given it my all, and have made so many friends and memories over this time. Although it is sad to step away, I'll keep up with the progress of the team and be there to support the girls throughout."

Miriam Grealey, Ireland women's selector and Kenealy's former long-term coach, has seen her talent from an early age. "As an 18-year old Amy was one of the best young bowlers in the country, so I had no hesitation in selecting her. Throughout her career, Amy was a great addition to the squad with an excellent work ethic and attitude."

Cricket Ireland hope to keep Kenealy involved in the game with their performance director, Richard Holdsworth, saying: "Too often in the sporting world we see athletes come through the system, then we struggle to retain them in the system after they call time on their competitive days. I hope Amy, and players like her, can be part of the future of the game. We know there is a growing interest in girls and women's cricket across Ireland, and we hope to be able to utilise the talent within the game to inspire the next generation."

Bangladesh Women 211 for 9 (Hoque 67, Murshida 44, Maroof 2-24) beat Pakistan Women 210 (Nahida 63, Rumana 3-35) by one wicket

Bangladesh Women fought off an almighty comeback from Pakistan Women to seal a thrilling one-wicket win and level the two-match ODI series at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The visitors won by one wicket with one ball to spare, but for a few fleeting moments, it appeared they had thrown away what looked an impregnable position in the game just half an hour before the frantic finish.

Fargana Hoque anchored the chase of 211 smoothly, a similar target Bangladesh had fallen short of in the first ODI. With 25 needed to win from the final eight overs and six wickets in hand, the victory appeared a formality, before Hoque's departure triggered an almighty collapse, and the panic in the Bangladesh camp almost cost them the series.

In the next 6.3 overs, five wickets were lost and just 18 runs were added to the score, with No. 9 Jahanara Alam and No. 11 Nahida Akhtar at the crease.

Bangladesh appeared to have snatched defeat from the jaws of victory at this point, but the pair had just about enough time to inch their way to the target, getting there on the penultimate delivery to level the series.

Pakistan opener Nahida Khan scored 63 to set up the innings, but beneath her, there were far too many starts that went unconverted. Bangladesh allrounder Rumana Ahmed made regular inroads into Pakistan, stalling their momentum just when a partnership had built up. The innings was marked by sloppiness too; four run-outs in the lower order saw to it that the hosts wouldn't bat out their 50 overs, bowled ten balls short for 210.

Those unplayed deliveries proved costly in the end, but it appeared a minor detail when Bangladesh's top order was clicking. Diana Baig and Sana Mir struck early, but that was followed by a commanding 82-run partnership between Hoque and opener Murshida Khatun, and when Bismah Mahroof dismissed Khatun, another 57-run partnership took Bangladesh within touching distance. It might have then appeared a stroll to the finish line, but Pakistan made sure the visitors would be forced to crawl towards it, gasping for air. Just before they ran out of breath - and overs and wickets - they had managed to stay alive.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway and the IndyCar Series were sold to Penske Entertainment Corp. in a stunning move Monday that relinquishes control of the iconic speedway from the Hulman family after 74 years.

Tony Hulman bought the dilapidated speedway in 1945 and brought racing back to the corner of 16th Street and Georgetown Avenue after a four-year absence following World War II. Roger Penske will become just the fourth owner of the 110-year-old speedway.

The speedway spun off multiple subsidiaries, including the IndyCar Series and Indianapolis Motor Speedway Productions, which are also part of the deal, to Penske Entertainment. That group is a subsidiary of Penske Corp., which is owned by billionaire Roger Penske.

"Great day for our family and our team," Penske said in a text message to The Associated Press.

The IndyCar Series is on an upward trend with improved television ratings and increased interest. Penske is the winningest team owner in Indianapolis 500 history with 18 victories, including Simon Pagenaud's win in May. He capped the IndyCar season with a championship from driver Josef Newgarden, the 15th for the Team Penske organization.

The speedway is to discuss the deal in a news conference Monday. The sale is expected to close in early January, according to a document of message points sent to IndyCar teams on Monday, a copy of which was obtained by the AP.

"We have found the ideal steward of the company and its iconic assets," the document states. "Penske Corporation -- with its 64,000-plus employees and more than $32 billion in consolidated revenue -- will bring tremendous energy, leadership and resources to IMS, IndyCar and IMSP.

"For a number of years, the Hulman & Company management and board have engaged outside advisers and experts to consider the full range of strategic options available. Ultimately, it was decided to focus on the possible sale of the company and finding a buyer that would be the best steward of the company and its iconic assets."

The document states that Penske Corp. approached the Hulman board in the fall about the purchase.

Rival team owner Chip Ganassi said Penske called him early Monday morning before the sale was announced to inform him.

"I think it's good. It's really good, it's great," Ganassi told AP. "The place is going to be run like a business now."

Michael Andretti, another rival owner, called it "positive news" for the series and the speedway.

"Roger has always strived to do great things for both IMS and Indy car racing, and I'm sure he will continue to do so in this new ownership position," Andretti said. "Both the Indy 500 and the NTT IndyCar Series have been on a rise and I look forward to the continued climb."

Penske's love of the speedway dates to 1951 when his father, Jay, scored a pair of tickets to the Indianapolis 500 from the metal fabrication company in Cleveland where he worked. He brought his 14-year-old car-loving son to the speedway to see the event live after listening to it only on radio for many years.

Penske was instantly hooked and has missed only six Indianapolis 500s since, five of which came when the IndyCar Series was formed by Tony George and split from CART. Penske teams remained in CART, and CART teams were not welcome at the 500.

CART was once the most popular form of motorsports in the U.S., but NASCAR swallowed open-wheel racing during the tumultuous times after Tony George created the Indy Racing League. The split fractured open-wheel racing in North America and it has never recovered even after CART conceded and merged into what is now known as IndyCar.

Penske has mixed track ownership and team ownership before, and the Detroit resident first purchased Michigan International Speedway in 1973. He later owned California Speedway, as well, and currently runs the Detroit Grand Prix doubleheader IndyCar weekend.

George, the grandson of Tony Hulman, has long run the speedway and its properties along with his sisters and a board of directors. But matriarch Mari Hulman George, daughter of Tony Hulman, died last November and her children and the board have made a series of moves divesting their businesses. The Hulman & Company family sold its other primary business, Clabber Girl, to B&> Foods for $80 million in May. Clabber Girl produced name brand baking powder, baking soda and corn starch for 150 years.

The family has now turned its racing properties over to Penske in an announcement made one day after the one-year anniversary of Hulman George's death. Penske, who turned 82 in February, received the Presidential Medal of Freedom from President Donald Trump last month.

"I cannot think of a better owner than Roger Penske and his corporation to ensure the future and growth of IndyCar," Zak Brown, CEO of McLaren, told the AP. McLaren is entering IndyCar next season and Brown was a longtime Indianapolis businessman who ran a racing marketing business.

"His business acumen and dedication to IndyCar racing and passion for the Indianapolis Motor Speedway is second to none," he said.

DENVER -- The Cleveland Browns waived safety Jermaine Whitehead on Monday morning, just hours after he posted profanity-laced and threatening comments on social media following Sunday's loss at Denver.

"Jermaine Whitehead's social media posts following today's game were totally unacceptable and highly inappropriate," a Browns spokesperson said in a statement Sunday night.

Broncos tight end Noah Fant ran over Whitehead on the way to a 75-yard touchdown reception. That, and a missed tackle on another big Denver play, drew criticism of Whitehead on social media. Shortly after the game ended, Whitehead responded on Twitter, including to former NFL player Dustin Fox, who appears on a postgame show for the Browns' radio network.

In response to Fox's criticism, Whitehead wrote, "Come get it in blood b---- made ass lil boy. I'm out there with a broke hand .. don't get smoked ... "

Whitehead also wrote, "Imma kill you b----.. that's on blood" to another Twitter user.

Whitehead's Twitter account was suspended before he had even left the visiting locker room. He declined to take questions from reporters.

Whitehead later took to Instagram to apologize for his performance, but not for the tweets.

"Crazy world. They line it up and say anything in the book too you," he said in the caption of a photo of himself walking outside with a suitcase in his right hand and a cast on the left one. "They tell you take the high road, when yo whole life you was taught to meet fire with fire. I do apologize for my performance, but having a broke hand and a strong fear of letting my team down is my downfall. Whatever happens happens. Ain trippin. They probably gone still talk crazy but this me getting smoke off my chest. I don't need one like.. this from me to me! Keep ya head up homie, can't nobody f--- with you. I dare em to try."

Whitehead, 26, is in his fourth NFL season after going undrafted out of Auburn in 2015. The Browns claimed him on waivers in November 2018, one day after the Green Bay Packers released him following an ejection for slapping an opponent in the face mask.

We are officially past the halfway point of the 2019 NFL season. After Sunday, teams have played 134 of the 267 games on the annual NFL calendar, which comes out to 50.2%. The last game of the first half was one of its most entertaining, with Baltimore ending New England's march toward a perfect season with a 37-20 defeat.

That game and many others from Sunday figured into my midseason awards ballot, which changed several times as the day went along and looked very different from the one I might have filed this time last week. There's really only one or two of the official categories that have a clear favorite at this point, and even that requires applying an inconsistently used rule for Offensive Player of the Year. Aaron Rodgers might have been the favorite to win the award after Week 8, but he's no longer in the top three here after an anonymous performance against the Chargers.

Perhaps this shouldn't be a surprise in a league where 21 of 32 teams are over .500, at .500, or within one game of .500, including all of the AFC South and three of the four teams in the AFC West. Everything still feels up for grabs, and that includes just about every award. My ballot is designed to encapsulate who played best during the first half of the NFL season as opposed to who is most likely to win the award at the end of the season. I'll also include my first-half All-Pro team, which is considered under the same circumstances:

Jump to an award:
DROY | OROY | COY
CPOY | DPOY | OPOY | MVP
All-Pro teams: Offense | Defense

Comeback Player of the Year

3. Brandon Brooks, G, Philadelphia Eagles

While offensive linemen don't typically need as long to come back from Achilles injuries as running backs or wide receivers, this isn't supposed to happen. Brooks, who has excelled at guard for the Eagles since joining the team in 2016, was a major doubt to start the season after tearing his Achilles in the divisional-round loss to the Saints. Even if he did make it back early in 2019, it seemed unlikely that he would immediately regain the form that led to back-to-back Pro Bowl appearances in 2017 and 2018.

Instead, Brooks was back for training camp, and after playing 73% of the snaps in the opening week win over Washington, he has been in for every snap since. He has also gotten right back to his old level of play; the former Texans standout has posted a 94.1% pass block win rate this season, which ranks 10th among guards. Brooks has only committed one penalty all season and has been credited with just one sack allowed by Stats LLC. Brooks is right back where he belongs as one of the best offensive linemen in football. (Honorary mention here to Sheldon Rankins, who also tore his Achilles in that playoff game and returned after missing the first three weeks of the season.)

2. Cooper Kupp, WR, Los Angeles Rams

When Kupp went down with a torn ACL last season, Jared Goff's numbers dropped off across the board. After posting a passer rating of 115.4 and a Total QBR of 77.0 with Kupp on the field, those marks fell to 90.2 and 50.8, respectively, without Kupp in the lineup. His unique mix of skills allows him to serve as both a blocking threat on the backside of run plays, a safety valve for Goff in the Rams' preferred 11 personnel package, and one of the league's most devastating threats after the catch with the ball in his hands.

Goff has struggled at times this season, but you can imagine how much worse off he would be without Kupp. While Kupp's target and receiving share were pretty similar to that of fellow wideouts Brandin Cooks and Robert Woods before going down last season, Kupp has graduated into the primary role this season. He comfortably leads the team in receptions (58), targets (86), receiving yards (792) and receiving touchdowns (five). Kupp has been targeted on 30% of the routes he has run this season, which ranks second among wideouts behind Michael Thomas. Some skill-position players take a full year before they're back to their old selves after tearing an ACL. Kupp doesn't look like his pre-tear self this year. He looks better.

1. Travis Frederick, C, Dallas Cowboys

As good as Brooks and Kupp have been, though, I have to give the nod to Frederick after recovering from Guillain-Barré syndrome. There are no easy injuries to come back from, of course, but while Brooks and Kupp had familiar timelines and rehab schedules to work with in returning from their injuries, Frederick was dealing with a rare virus and a totally uncertain future. There are only a few examples of players in other sports dealing with the illness and making it back onto the field, let alone returning to their prior level of play, with former Liverpool defender Markus Babbel as the most notable example.

Frederick was arguably the best center in football before missing all of 2018 with his illness. I'm not sure he's been the best center in the league since returning from the ailment, but he's been an above-average pivot on one of the league's best lines this season, going all season without committing a single penalty. For Frederick to come back and play at a high level is incredibly brave.

Defensive Rookie of the Year

3. Devin Bush, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

What Bush is doing as an instant starter for a defense ranked ninth in DVOA before Sunday's win over the Colts can't be underestimated. The Steelers have seemingly been drafting and developing star linebackers for decades, but they don't usually start as rookies. Since 1999, the only rookie Steelers linebackers to start seven of their first eight games in the league, as Bush has this season, are T.J. Watt and Kendrell Bell. Bell was a Pro Bowler as a rookie, and Bush might be on the same path.

Bush continues to stuff the stat sheet, although after recovering three fumbles over the first month of the season, he has only recovered one over the ensuing three games. He took that fumble to the house against the Chargers, and he added an interception of Philip Rivers in that game. Bush is tied for the league lead among rookies in interceptions with two, which is rare for an inside linebacker. More traditionally, he paces all freshmen in both tackles and solo tackles. With the Steelers relying on their defense to win games, it's difficult to imagine where they would be without their first-round pick.

2. Josh Allen, DE, Jacksonville Jaguars

Allen has flown under the radar by virtue of playing on the Jaguars amid Gardner Minshew mania, but like their fill-in quarterback, the first-round pick has made an immediate impact. Allen has seven sacks in eight games, including a pair of strip sacks. He even picked up a sack by spinning off of star Saints left tackle Terron Armstead, although it was admittedly a coverage sack.

Could you make the case that Allen is better than Nick Bosa? Maybe. Their production is relatively similar, given that Allen has seven sacks and 13 knockdowns on 371 defensive snaps, while Bosa has an identical seven sacks and 13 knockdowns on 292 snaps. The extra opportunities obviously help Allen, but Bosa has also played on a defense that has almost constantly been ahead and able to pin their ears back to go after the quarterback. Both play alongside great defensive linemen, which makes it easier to see one-on-one opportunities. According to ESPN's analysis of NFL Next Gen Stats, Allen has been double-teamed on 26.3% of his pass-rushing opportunities, slightly ahead of Bosa at 21.8%.

1. Nick Bosa, DE, San Francisco 49ers

I'll narrowly give the nod to the younger Bosa brother, who has created nine sacks with his pass rushes this season, tied for sixth in the league. Bosa has created those nine sacks on 111 pass-rushing opportunities, in contrast to Allen's seven sacks created on 147 pass-rushing reps.

The Defensive Player of the Year hype surrounding the second overall pick might be a little inflated -- he might not even be the best member of the Bosa family for that discussion -- but he has made an instant impact for the league's most-improved defense.

Offensive Rookie of the Year

3. DK Metcalf, WR, Seattle Seahawks

I was all ready to place Saints center Erik McCoy on this list after a glowing start to the season, but with McCoy hit by four holding penalties in the first half and Metcalf dragging overmatched Bucs cornerback Jamel Dean for 123 yards and a touchdown during Sunday's overtime win over Tampa Bay, I'm pushing the league's leading rookie receiver into the top three. Not bad for the ninth wideout chosen in the 2019 draft class.

While I'm generally loath to totally throw away a player's scouting report after a half-season of football, it's clear that the scaremongering surrounding Metcalf before the draft wasn't accurate. Metcalf can do more than run in a straight line. He's not limited to go or fade routes, although he's absolutely terrifying when the Seahawks get him isolated against a smaller cornerback. Metcalf is threatening teams on deep crossing routes and drag routes, where he can use his 6-foot-3 frame to create separation from opposing cornerbacks and his speed to run away from opposing linebackers after the catch. Russell Wilson's unconscious first half on deep balls has made this the perfect landing spot for Metcalf, but the rookie wideout is playing his part, too.

2. Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals

While the preseason storylines surrounding Murray and the Air Raid seemed to suggest that they would either take the league by storm or fail miserably as gimmicks, the truth has been somewhere in the middle. Murray and the Cardinals' rushing attack has been more effective than anybody would have expected, with Arizona ranking fourth in rush offense DVOA through the first eight weeks of the season. Murray, who has 56 carries for 313 yards and two touchdowns, ranks fourth in expected points added as a runner among quarterbacks.

Strictly on pass plays, Murray ranks 17th in Total QBR at 54.7. The Cardinals aren't asking Murray to throw downfield frequently, with the former Oklahoma star averaging just 6.7 air yards per pass attempt, which ranks 28th in the league. Some of that likely owes to a lack of confidence in Arizona's pass protection. The Cardinals also haven't exactly been stocked with burners at receiver, given that Christian Kirk missed three games and Andy Isabella had barely played before his long catch-and-run against the 49ers. Murray's leading targets at receiver have otherwise been Larry Fitzgerald and KeeSean Johnson. If he can start using the threat of the running game to create big plays downfield as a passer, the Cards will hit new heights on offense.

1. Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders

The lone rookie running back who has been an every-week starter for his team, Jacobs has flourished behind one of the league's most impressive offensive lines. Chalking Jacobs up as a product of that line wouldn't be fair, though; he has averaged 2.13 yards after first contact as a rusher, which ranks third among backs with 100 carries or more. On Sunday, he beat up and ran over the Lions, racking up 120 yards, two touchdowns and seven first downs on 28 carries.

Jacobs ranks sixth in the league in rushing yards through eight games, combining significant volume with slightly above-average efficiency as measured by tools like Success Rate. You might hope he contributes more as a receiver, given that he has 11 catches for 102 yards so far, but there's no perfect rookie this season. As the focal point of an underrated Raiders offense, though, Jacobs has done enough to finish first at the halfway point.

Coach of the Year

3. Sean Payton, New Orleans Saints

In a year where this award could easily go to one of eight or nine coaches, there's no right order for the candidates here. I'm not going to name guys like Sean McDermott, Andy Reid or Ron Rivera, each of whom wouldn't be remotely offensive as the winners after nine weeks. This award typically goes to new coaches who drive single-season turnarounds; the obvious option there is Green Bay's Matt LaFleur, who dropped into fourth after Sunday's curious loss to the Chargers.

Coaches who have been consistently great for years like Payton rarely get consideration for this award, but 2019 might qualify as an exception. Payton's Saints hit the bye at 7-1, which included a 5-0 record with Teddy Bridgewater while Drew Brees was out with a thumb injury. Bridgewater is one of the better backups in the league on paper, of course, but the Saints comfortably beat teams like the Seahawks, Cowboys and Bears when they were supposed to struggle.

The only hole I would poke in that argument is that the offense wasn't the driving force in those victories. During that 5-0 run, the Saints ranked ninth in Win Probability Added on offense, a testament to what Payton and Bridgewater were able to do with Michael Thomas and a great offensive line. It's also notable that Dennis Allen's defense ranked third in Win Probability Added over that time frame, trailing only the Patriots and 49ers. I'd be more likely to pick Allen for Coordinator of the Year than I would be to pick Payton for Coach of the Year, although both deserve serious consideration.

2. Bill Belichick, New England Patriots

Belichick dropped out of the top spot in the Coach of the Year rankings after Sunday night's loss to the Ravens, where his previously dominant defense was gashed for 372 yards and 31 offensive points by Lamar Jackson & Co. One disappointing game doesn't knock the Patriots out of the discussion for the greatest defense ever -- just to make a comparison to a legendary defense from the past, the 2000 Ravens allowed 38 points to the Jaguars in Week 2 -- but it does lend credence to people who suggested their dominant early performances were significantly influenced by subpar opposition.

I was surprised to see Belichick approach the Ravens game in such a conservative way on offense. With the Patriots down 17-0 in the first half, Belichick decided to punt on fourth-and-1 from his own 40, only to be bailed out when former Pats corner Cyrus Jones muffed the punt and gave the ball to New England. The Pats then punted again on fourth-and-9 from the Baltimore 37-yard line, only to catch another break when they recovered a Mark Ingram fumble. At the end of the half, with legendary sneak king Tom Brady, the Pats decided to kick a field goal to make it 17-13 in lieu of attempting to convert a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line.

Belichick's game plan went well when the Ravens were turning the ball over, but the plan fizzled out once the fumbles stopped going the Pats' way. After halftime, the Ravens returned a Julian Edelman fumble for a 70-yard touchdown. On their next offensive drive, with a 23-20 lead, John Harbaugh decided to go for it on fourth-and-4 and converted with a pass to Willie Snead. They scored a touchdown five plays later and never looked back. Belichick is a genius, and it's possible that he simply didn't have much faith in his offensive line in short-yardage, but Harbaugh outmanaged him Sunday.

1. Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers

After two difficult years of rebuilding the San Francisco roster and dealing with an injury to Jimmy Garoppolo, Shanahan and general manager John Lynch have seen their plan come together masterfully in 2019. The 8-0 49ers are beating teams up at the line of scrimmage on both sides of the football. You can argue that they've been more dominant than the Patriots; the Niners have trailed for a total of just under 17 minutes in the second half this season, and not once since their Week 3 victory over the Steelers.

The 49ers have been healthier on the defensive side of the ball than they were a year ago, but it's scary to think that they're doing this with a severely compromised offense. While Garoppolo has been healthy after missing most of 2018 with a torn ACL, the 49ers are down both of their starting tackles, fullback Kyle Juszczyk, running back Jerick McKinnon, and wideouts Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd. It hasn't mattered.

As with Payton, you could make the argument that the start might be less about Shanahan and more about Robert Saleh's defense, given that the 49ers rank 13th in Win Probability Added on offense and second on defense. Maybe it's too simplistic to just give the award to the coach of the one undefeated team left in the league. Given that the 49ers were 1-7 this time last season, I'm willing to keep things simple.

Offensive Player of the Year

I'm going to follow the voter model of using the OPOY vote to focus on offensive players who aren't quarterbacks. It seems silly to award MVP to an offensive player and then say he isn't the best offensive player, but it will let us talk about more players here.

3. George Kittle, TE, San Francisco 49ers

For all the injuries the 49ers are dealing with on offense, Kittle -- even more so than Garoppolo -- is the lone irreplaceable player Shanahan has on that side of the ball. You already know about what he can do after the catch with the ball in his hands, even if his fantasy numbers have been deflated thanks to touchdowns taken away via penalties or catches coming up just short of the goal line. Kittle has been targeted on an even one-third of the routes he has run and has caught a pass on 26.4% of those routes, with the latter figure ranking first among all pass-catchers.

Where Kittle has really shined during the first half, though, is as a blocker. If he's not quite at the Rob Gronkowski level, he's not far off. There are new Kittle blocks to fawn over on Twitter every week, and as the 49ers have lost Juszczyk and both of their tackles, Kittle's work in the running game has become even more important. The 49ers average more than a half-yard per carry more with Kittle on the field. His versatility makes him absolutely essential.

2. Michael Thomas, WR, New Orleans Saints

It's easy to make the case that Thomas has been the best wide receiver in football, and that's even without considering that his starting quarterback has missed the better part of six games. Thomas' consistency has been remarkable; he has at least 89 receiving yards in seven of his eight games this season.

Where Thomas has truly stood out during his time as an elite receiver, though, is in catch rate. Thomas caught 85% of the passes thrown in his direction last season, which is just unreal for a No. 1 wideout; to put that in context, going back to 2001, no receiver with 100 or more targets in a season had previously topped a catch rate of 79%. He obviously deserved some of the credit for those numbers, but I think plenty of the credit also went to Brees.

Well, with Brees missing for most of 2019, Thomas has posted a catch rate of ... 82%. That's tops in the league among qualifying wideouts, narrowly ahead of Seattle star Tyler Lockett. Thomas is yet to drop a pass in 2019 despite leading the league in targets per game at 11.1. He has essentially been a vacuum at wideout since the start of 2018, regardless of who has been at quarterback. He's doing it without another above-average threat on this team at wide receiver or tight end. With all due respect to guys like DeAndre Hopkins and Julio Jones, Thomas is the best wide receiver in football.

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB, Carolina Panthers

While he isn't quite dominant enough to justify MVP consideration over the league's top quarterbacks, McCaffrey is comfortably ahead of the pack at running back as the focal point of the Carolina offense. After shredding the Titans for 166 yards from scrimmage and three touchdowns on Sunday, the Stanford product leads the league in both yards from scrimmage (1,244) and touchdowns (13). Dalvin Cook is the only other player within 100 yards from scrimmage of McCaffrey, and he has already played nine games to McCaffrey's eight.

McCaffrey ranks seventh in league history for most yards from scrimmage through the first eight games of a season, just ahead of Adrian Peterson's 2007 campaign. The guys ahead of him include Hall of Famers such as Jim Brown, Marshall Faulk and Terrell Davis. Those seven seasons, when prorated to 16 games, averaged 2,408 yards from scrimmage and 22 touchdowns. McCaffrey is not quite 100% healthy -- he was on the injury report with a knee issue and was briefly evaluated for a concussion on Sunday -- but he's on pace for 2,488 yards from scrimmage and 26 touchdowns.

Would that be enough to engender serious MVP consideration down the line? I'm not sure. McCaffrey would come up 21 yards short of Chris Johnson's record season of 2,509 yards from scrimmage, but when Johnson set that mark for an 8-8 Titans team in 2008, he didn't receive any MVP attention. The touchdown total seems more likely to attract attention, given that players like Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson were able to win 21st century MVP awards with gaudy touchdown marks. If McCaffrey can make it to 30 touchdowns and pushes the Panthers into the playoffs without Cam Newton, he's going to be in the discussion.

One reason to think he might actually have a shot at getting to 30 scores? McCaffrey doesn't have to play the Bucs again. With Vita Vea emerging as an elite run defender, Tampa has led the league in rush defense DVOA and been the only team capable of shutting down CMC. In his two games against Tampa, he has carried the ball 38 times for just 68 yards to go along with six catches for 42 yards. McCaffrey is averaging 55 yards from scrimmage and zero touchdowns per game against the Bucs, but then 189 yards from scrimmage and more than two touchdowns per game against the rest of the NFL.

Defensive Player of the Year

3. Aaron Donald, DT, Los Angeles Rams

No, this isn't a hyped season for the defending two-time Defensive Player of the Year, who has a relatively modest nine quarterback knockdowns through eight games for the Rams. The Rams have struggled in the secondary, and without a dominant edge rusher, he has seen a steady stream of double-teams on the interior. According to ESPN's analysis of NFL Next Gen Stats, only Kenny Clark has been double-teamed more often than Donald so far. It's nothing new for the superstar Rams defensive tackle.

Even given the attention, Donald is still impacting games. He has five sacks to go with seven tackles for loss against the run, with the latter figure leading the NFL. The Rams have allowed an 82.5 passer rating and a 42.2 QBR with Donald on the field this season, but with their superstar lineman on the sideline, those figures rise to a 130.5 passer rating and an 81.2 QBR. Don't be fooled: This is still the best interior lineman in the league.

2. Cameron Jordan, DE, New Orleans Saints

I'm not sure anybody in the league is more difficult to block when his defense needs a big play than Jordan, who has been at the same level as the likes of Khalil Mack and Von Miller over the last couple of seasons. Jordan ranks among the league leaders with eight sacks, 13 quarterback knockdowns, and five tackles for loss. He has also created 10 sacks with his pass pressure, which ranks fourth in the league behind Mack, Za'Darius Smith and Shaq Barrett. I wouldn't blame you for putting any of those guys here, but Jordan is every bit as impactful.

1. Stephon Gilmore, CB, New England Patriots

While the Patriots had their worst performance of the season Sunday night, Gilmore wasn't to blame. Assigned the duty of covering top Ravens wideout Marquise Brown for most of the evening, Gilmore held the rookie to three catches for 48 yards on four targets. The Patriots have no fear with putting Gilmore on anybody, regardless of how big or fast they are.

In return, Gilmore has delivered. According to NFL Next Gen Stats, he has allowed a passer rating of just 39.3 as the closest defender in coverage, the third-lowest mark for cornerbacks who have at least 100 snaps in coverage. He has also been targeted 55 times, so opposing offenses are desperately going at the star corner in single coverage and failing. As valuable as it is to have a corner like Raiders-era Nnamdi Asomugha who wipes away one side of the field and allows a team to focus your coverage efforts elsewhere, it's even more valuable when a player like Gilmore can both draw lots of targets and then erase those pass plays in the process.

You could make a case for other Patriots here, but when I asked ESPN Patriots reporter Mike Reiss on my podcast last week to pick a defensive MVP from this defense, he picked Gilmore. As well as the rest of the defense has played for the majority of the first half, I have to agree. Gilmore's ability unlocks quite a bit of what the Patriots are capable of doing on the defensive side of the ball. Pass-rushers almost always win this award, but until one pulls away from the pack, his nearly unquestioned status as the best cornerback in football could open the Defensive Player of the Year trophy up for a defensive back.

Most Valuable Player

3. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

The quarterbacks ranked first and second on my list belong in the top three no matter how you slice them. The competition for the third spot is far wider and looked at the likes of Aaron Rodgers and Dak Prescott as candidates. This might be considered recency bias given that the final game of Sunday evening was Baltimore beating the Patriots, but Jackson's performance against the league's best defense is enough to push him into the MVP discussion.

His raw passing numbers are ordinary, but when you combine his ability as a passer with his running statistics, he absolutely moves the needle. On 99 rush plays this season, Jackson has accrued just over 27 expected points worth of value. To put that in context, that's nearly more than the run expected points pieced together by the second- and third-ranked quarterbacks (Deshaun Watson and Daniel Jones) combined, as the two add up to nearly 29 expected points. Jackson ranks seventh in the league with 35 first downs as a runner; that's nearly as many as Leonard Fournette, who has 36, but the Jags back required 174 rush attempts to get to that total. Jackson's 35.4% first-down rate as a runner is comfortably the best in football.

As he showed on Sunday, Jackson is also a good enough passer to scare teams who sell out to stop the run. Heading into Sunday's game, the Patriots had allowed opposing quarterbacks to post a completion percentage of 52.4% against what NFL Next Gen Stats estimated as an expected completion percentage of 60.5%. Both numbers are remarkably low. Against the Ravens, though, the Pats allowed Jackson to complete 73.9% of his passes against an expected rate of 70.5%.

After posting a Total QBR of 89 against the Patriots, Jackson's 69.8 mark in Total QBR ranks fifth in the league. One of the guys ahead of him is injured Chiefs star Patrick Mahomes. Another is Prescott, who leads the league in QBR and might slip back into third place with a big game against the Giants on Monday night. Jackson's ability to hold his own as a passer, lap the field as a runner and mostly avoid big hits and giveaways make him an incredibly valuable quarterback. He's the first guy who has made the Patriots defense look bad this season.

2. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

Nobody besides McCaffrey has a more impressive highlight reel than Watson, who seems to have one jaw-dropping, instantly-viral play per week. It feels like an eternity ago, but we've all mostly forgotten about Watson nearly beating the Saints in Week 1 by guiding his offense 75 yards on two plays for what looked to be a game-winning touchdown, only for the defense to blow the lead. That would have been a signature game for most quarterbacks, but it's buried under 15 or 20 more recent instances of Watson doing something few quarterbacks in the game can do with a casual flick of his wrist or shuffle of his feet.

While he will create pressure by extending plays and was without left tackle Laremy Tunsil for Sunday's blowout victory over the Jaguars in London, we're finally getting to see what the 2017 first-round pick can do with a bit of protection. Watson's pressure rate is down from a league-high 40.9% to 30.1% this season, and while he doesn't ever seem fazed by pressure, he's unsurprisingly better when the opposing pass rush is leaving him alone. He has posted a 111.6 passer rating and an 83.9 QBR without pressure, up from 91.3 and 47.4, respectively, when he has been pressured. Watson's sack rate has also dropped from 10.9% to 7.6%, which should keep the star quarterback healthier, although that doesn't account for the plays where he takes a hit and still manages to find a receiver for a first down.

As an aside, while I'm obviously not counting any of them against Watson, I'm the one killjoy who doesn't love those plays where Watson writhes in the grasp of an opposing defender before somehow completing a pass. I know it cost the Texans a possible touchdown when Watson was called in the grasp of Justin Houston against the Colts in Week 7, wiping away what should have been a touchdown pass. It's a thankless task for officials, who have to tow an impossible line. It's incredibly fun to see what Watson can do when he extends plays. He's also a quarterback with a pair of ACL tears in his past, and one wrong twist or late hit when he can't protect himself while looking downfield might very well create the third. I don't want Watson to get injured, and if it means the occasional premature grasp call, I would rather deal with that than have to watch AJ McCarron quarterback the Texans in a postseason game.

While they sound great on paper, Watson's actually not getting a ton of help from his receivers, who have dropped 4.6% of his passes. Only Carson Wentz (5.0%) and Prescott (5.5%) have been victimized by drops more frequently. The Texans lost Will Fuller to a hamstring injury, briefly lost Kenny Stills to a groin issue in London, and Bill O'Brien has pinned Keke Coutee to the bench for two straight games after his drop led to a game-ending interception against the Colts. Watson has responded by throwing his seven touchdown passes over the last four weeks to DeAndre Hopkins, Duke Johnson and Darren Fells. Watson has actually posted a better passer rating this season on throws to everyone besides Hopkins (108.6) than he has on throws to him (103.8).

I can only poke the tiniest holes in Watson's game to place him second. He has thrown five interceptions in 302 pass attempts. One was a Coutee drop, and another came on a play where it appeared two receivers incorrectly ran the same route into each other. Of the other three, two were ill-advised throws, including one in the end zone against the Chiefs. A 1.6% interception rate shouldn't typically be held against quarterbacks, but this is rarified air. Watson and the offense seem to have a couple of games each year when the attack inexplicably sputters out for an entire contest, and they already had two such games in September against the Jags and Panthers.

Watson would be a great MVP pick, and with Mahomes sidelined, nobody feels more capable of the seemingly impossible on any single snap than Houston's star quarterback.

1. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

There was a time when I would say that about Wilson, but it wouldn't be 2019. I'm not suggesting Wilson is incapable of pulling some magic out and scrambling forever before finding an open receiver if he needs to on a big play. I'm saying he hasn't really needed to very often this season. He looks about as under control and collected as any quarterback in football these days, like the game has slowed down several speeds. In an offense that hasn't valued him the way he deserved to be valued and with a receiving corps other quarterbacks would struggle to use well, though, Wilson has absolutely torn apart opposing defenses all season.

It's quickly gotten to the point for me where I assume a lofted Wilson throw is going to result in a catch and a big gain. With a receiving corps consisting mostly of 5-foot-10 Tyler Lockett and a pair of big receivers with little agility, Wilson seems to drop in inch-perfect lobs like he's in practice. On deep passes this season, he is completing more than 50% of his throws, averaging 15.1 yards per attempt, and posting a league-best QBR of 98.5. Stretch it further to ultra-deep passes traveling 26 or more yards in the air and Wilson is still completing nearly 60% of his attempts, good for a 142.4 passer rating and a 99.9 QBR. All those marks lead the league.

NFL Next Gen Stats back up Wilson. Given that his average pass is traveling nearly 9 yards in the air, it's no surprise that the NGS model only expects Wilson to complete 60.9% of his passes. Wilson is instead completing 68.2% of his throws. Among starting quarterbacks, only Prescott has outperformed his expected completion percentage more significantly than the Seahawks star. Wilson's touchdown pass to Lockett against the Rams was the most improbable completion of the last two seasons.

One of the reasons Wilson didn't gather as much MVP consideration as he perhaps deserved in recent years was volume; with the Seahawks insisting that the running game was the cause of their offensive success, Pete Carroll and offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer had taken more of the workload off Wilson's shoulders. Last season, while Wilson was wildly efficient, he threw just 427 passes, an average of just under 27 per game. There's just no way to compare Wilson to someone like Mahomes when the latter passer was averaging more than 36 attempts per game last season; it would be impossible for Wilson to be efficient enough to make up the cumulative differences between the two.

While the Seahawks still have games where they seem to forget they have the best quarterback in football -- the second half of the Falcons game as a recent example -- Wilson has taken over games more frequently in 2019. Seattle correctly veered away from their running game against the Bucs and their dominant run defense on Sunday and instead let Wilson throw 43 passes. He's averaging nearly 33 pass attempts per game this season, which compares comfortably with the other quarterbacks in the MVP discussion.

The most impressive thing about Wilson's first nine games might actually be how he has avoided turnovers. He has posted a 22-1 touchdown-to-interception ratio, with the one pick coming at the hands of Marcus Peters against the Ravens. ESPN also credits Wilson with zero dropped interceptions. On top of that, though, he has only fumbled four times, losing one to the Steelers. He has only fumbled or thrown an interception on 1.3% of plays, the third-best mark in the league behind Rodgers and Bridgewater.

This isn't unprecedented territory for Wilson. Over the second half of 2015, he was neck-and-neck with Cam Newton as the best quarterback in football. Wilson actually led the league in Total QBR from Week 10 on at 81.1, averaging 8.6 yards per attempt and throwing 25 touchdown passes against just two interceptions. He looked a lot like the quarterback we've seen from the first half of 2019.

This time, Wilson has tossed in a bit of late-game flair to supplement his case. The 31-year-old now has four fourth-quarter comeback victories this season, although his defense blew their lead and forced him to launch two consecutive drives to set up what was a missed game-winning field goal attempt and a subsequent winning touchdown in overtime. In 2015, he was sharing the headlines and the credit with the Legion of Boom. This Seahawks defense ranked 22nd in DVOA before allowing the Bucs to score 34 points in the Pacific Northwest. Wilson has carried the Seahawks to 7-2. This is his team, and if Seattle keeps it up, it's going to be his MVP award, too.

Rockets point guard Russell Westbrook likely will rest for the second half of Houston's back-to-back Monday against the Grizzlies.

Rockets coach Mike D'Antoni said before Sunday's game against the Heat that he expected to rest Westbrook for the next night's game.

But after Houston was routed 129-100 on Sunday night in Miami, D'Antoni left open the possibility that Westbrook could play Monday, responding "maybe" when asked about the former MVP's availability.

"You're going to see tomorrow," D'Antoni told reporters.

Westbrook played just 26 minutes Sunday night and struggled through his worst game as a member of the Rockets, finishing with season lows of 10 points, 6 assists and 4 rebounds while committing a season-high seven turnovers.

Westbrook is averaging 21.2 points, 9.2 assists and 9.8 rebounds in six games this season, his first with Houston.

We're two weeks into the regular season, which means it's OK to start reading into teams' starts to 2019-20.

That's great news for the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Lakers and LA Clippers. Very, very bad news for the Golden State Warriors.

Throughout the regular season, our panel (ESPN's Tim MacMahon, Andre' Snellings, Royce Young and Bobby Marks, and The Undefeated's Marc J. Spears) is ranking all 30 teams from top to bottom, taking stock of which teams are playing the best basketball now and which teams are looking most like title contenders.

Previous rankings: Week 2 | Week 1 | Camp | Free agency | Post-Finals

1. Philadelphia 76ers
Record: 5-0
Week 2 ranking: 2

The 76ers used the next-man-up approach in their road win at Portland. Without Joel Embiid -- the big man was suspended two games for the altercation with Karl-Anthony Towns -- the 76ers would get a combined 48 points from Tobias Harris and Al Horford, plus 43 points from their bench, including the game-winning shot by Furkan Korkmaz. The bench production is a result of four players on minimum contracts -- James Ennis III, Kyle O'Quinn, Raul Neto, Korkmaz -- and a fifth, Mike Scott, signed to the $4.8 million room mid-level exception. While much has been made about their starting five, GM Elton Brand went bargain shopping for reserves, and it has resulted in early season success. -- Marks

This week: @PHX, @UTAH, @DEN, CHA

2. Los Angeles Lakers
Record: 5-1
Week 2 ranking: 5

The Lakers have won five straight, and their 5-1 start is the best since the 2010-11 season, when L.A. didn't lose until its ninth game of the season. LeBron James, Anthony Davis & Co. were the first team in the Western Conference to reach the five-win mark -- they beat their Staples Center roommates by a few hours Sunday -- but have tough upcoming games against surging Miami and defending champion Toronto this week. -- Spears

This week: @CHI, MIA, TOR

3. LA Clippers
Record: 5-2
Week 2 ranking: 1

What separates the Clippers is the rare combination of top-tier superstar talent layered with high-level depth. And that was on full display against the Jazz, with 50 points from the bench to go with 30 from Kawhi Leonard. Even if they need to deploy more load management for Leonard throughout the season, they should be able to absorb his production. Oh, and have we mentioned Paul George should be back soon? -- Young

This week: MIL, POR

4. Milwaukee Bucks
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 3

The Bucks started the week with a tough road loss to the surging Celtics but came back with dominant performances against the Magic and Raptors. The Bucks' offense is clicking on all cylinders, producing 119.2 points per game on 47.5% shooting from the field. The unit is running even more through Giannis Antetokounmpo thus far this season than it did last, with the Greek Freak averaging a team-high 7.7 assists per game. -- Snellings

This week: @MIN, @LAC, @UTAH, @OKC

5. Boston Celtics
Record: 4-1
Week 2 ranking: 8

The Celtics swept the week at home with a comeback win over Milwaukee and a Jayson Tatum game winner to beat New York. Because Jaylen Brown (illness) and Enes Kanter (injury) were out of the starting lineup, the Celtics have relied heavily on their starting five. In both wins, the combination of Kemba Walker, Marcus Smart, Gordon Hayward, Tatum and Daniel Theis averaged 34 minutes, with only Theis playing less than 30 in both games. -- Marks

This week: @CLE, @CHA, @SA

6. Utah Jazz
Record: 4-3
Week 2 ranking: 7

The good news is that all signs indicate that Donovan Mitchell is taking a major step toward superstardom by drastically improving his efficiency. He's averaging 25.7 points per game while shooting 52 percent from the floor and 44.4 percent from 3-point range. The bad news: The Jazz are still way too dependent on Mitchell despite offseason moves to upgrade the offense. Utah is averaging 107.3 points per 100 possessions with Mitchell on the floor, compared to a dreadful 82 when he rests. -- MacMahon

This week: PHI, MIL

7. Denver Nuggets
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 4

The Nuggets' defeat to the Mavericks was just that -- a close loss to a quality team. But falling by 15 points on the road to the Zion-less Pelicans rang some alarm bells for coach Mike Malone. "We're a great talk team," Malone said after the game, which is an excellent burn from a coach. There's the burden of expectation on Denver this season, and Malone is putting the early challenge to his young team. They responded with a solid win on the road against Orlando, but tests against Miami and Philly loom this week -- Young

This week: MIA, PHI, @MIN

8. Miami Heat
Record: 5-1
Week 2 ranking: 12

The Miami Heat are to be taken seriously. Back-to-back wins over the Hawks (without Trae Young, for full context) were nice, but the complete destruction of the Rockets has put everyone in the Eastern Conference on notice. Games at Denver and at the Lakers this week provide a couple of more tests, but regardless: The roster is balanced, the coaching is terrific, the bench is deep and the out-of-nowhere emergence of undrafted rookie Kendrick Nunn is one of the best early storylines of the season. -- Young

This week: @DEN, @PHX, @LAL

9. San Antonio Spurs
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 9

The Spurs rank second in the NBA in offensive efficiency (112.4 points per 100 possessions) despite ranking second to last in 3-pointers made (8.3 per game) and attempted (25.3). Another statistical oddity: San Antonio ranks second in rebounding percentage (53.7) despite the fact that a skinny point guard on a minutes restriction is leading the Spurs in rebounding, with Dejounte Murray grabbing 8.6 boards in only 23.3 minutes per game. -- MacMahon

This week: @ATL, OKC, BOS

10. Toronto Raptors
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 11

The Raptors remain one of the top teams in the Eastern Conference on the strength of their defense, which has held opponents to only 40.1 percent shooting from the field through the first two weeks of the season. Pascal Siakam was the best defensive player on the Raptors by many analytics last season, and he is supported by former Defensive Player of the Year Marc Gasol and plus defenders across the board to form a stellar unit, even with two-time DPOY Kawhi Leonard on the West Coast. -- Snellings

This week: SAC, @NO, @LAL

11. Houston Rockets
Record: 3-3
Week 2 ranking: 6

The Rockets have been a defensive disaster early, similar to their start last season. But there are no easy solutions this time. They can't recruit assistant coach Jeff Bzdelik out of "retirement" again to run their defense, considering he's now on the Pelicans' staff. And there isn't a Carmelo Anthony on the roster to exile. Houston, which luckily escaped a 317-point battle Wednesday night in D.C., has allowed 40-plus points in a quarter four times in three games on this road trip. -- MacMahon

This week: @MEM, GS, @CHI

12. Minnesota Timberwolves
Record: 4-1
Week 2 ranking: 15

Karl-Anthony Towns made headlines this week as his scuffle with Joel Embiid spilled over into social media and led to both players being suspended. The Timberwolves blew out the Wizards on Saturday even with Towns serving the first half of his two-game ban, and thus end the week on top of the Northwest Division. They face a serious test to start this week in their second game without KAT, though, as the Bucks come to town featuring reigning MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo. -- Snellings

This week: MIL, @MEM, GS, DEN

13. Dallas Mavericks
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 13

Players under 21 have produced 14 25-plus-point triple-doubles in NBA history, according to Basketball Reference. Luka Doncic has half of those, including one in each of his past two games, when he joined Jason Kidd as the only player in Mavericks history to dish out at least 15 assists in back-to-back games. You have to wonder whether Doncic (26.7 points, 10.3 rebounds, 9.5 assists per game) can join Oscar Robertson and Russell Westbrook in averaging a triple-double for a season. -- MacMahon

This week: ORL, NY, @MEM

14. Portland Trail Blazers
Record: 3-3
Week 2 ranking: 10

Zach Collins' shoulder injury is a big one for the Blazers because interior depth was already a concern coming into the season. And the game against the 76ers highlighted that issue, as Portland struggled to find a workable front line against Al Horford and Tobias Harris. There's no timetable on Collins yet, but there was belief the Blazers were already going to look at frontcourt upgrades on the trade market, and that plan might accelerate now. -- Young

This week: @GS, @LAC, BKN, ATL

15. Brooklyn Nets
Record: 2-4
Week 2 ranking: 14

The Nets followed up their most complete win Friday against Houston with a clunker at Detroit one night later. Without Reggie Jackson, Derrick Rose and Tim Frazier, a Pistons backcourt of Bruce Brown and Luke Kennard outplayed Kyrie Irving and Caris LeVert. Despite a 16-point performance from Spencer Dinwiddie off the bench in Detroit, the guard has struggled in the early part of the season. Through six games, Dinwiddie has shot 38.9% from the field, 24.1% from deep and a career-high 3 turnovers per game in 24.5 minutes on the court. Speaking of turnovers, the Nets rank second to last in turnovers per game at 19.3. -- Marks

This week: NO, @POR, @PHX

16. Indiana Pacers
Record: 3-3
Week 2 ranking: 19

The Pacers started off the season with three straight losses but have bounced back with three straight wins to get back to .500. The additions of Malcolm Brogdon, Jeremy Lamb and T.J. Warren are leading Indy's perimeter attack with a combined 48.7 points and 12.0 assists through the first two weeks to support their already strong interior game. -- Snellings

This week: @CHA, WSH, DET, @ORL

17. Phoenix Suns
Record: 4-2
Week 2 ranking: 22

Suns center Aron Baynes has been holding down the fort for suspended center Deandre Ayton, who is out for 25 games for violating the NBA's drug policy after testing positive for a banned diuretic. Baynes is averaging 15.2 points, 5.7 rebounds and 3.2 assists for the surprising Suns. The Australian also made a career-high four 3-pointers during a win over Memphis on Saturday night. -- Spears

This week: PHI, MIA, BKN

18. Atlanta Hawks
Record: 2-3
Week 2 ranking: 16

Hawks guard Trae Young is listed as day-to-day after suffering a sprained ankle on Oct. 29 at Miami. Young had been averaging 26.8 points, 7.3 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game while nailing 50 percent of his 3-pointers before the injury. Atlanta rookie guard Cam Reddish has started in Young's place during a loss to Miami on Halloween, earning nine points, six rebounds and four assists. -- Spears

This week: SA, CHI, SAC, @POR

19. Orlando Magic
Record: 2-4
Week 2 ranking: 18

The Magic have struggled on offense this season, averaging only 93.5 points on 39.7 percent shooting from the field through their first six games, both marks dead last in the NBA. The Magic still aren't getting much production from the point guard position, with no player on the team averaging more than 4.3 assists. They have started to look toward the future of the position, starting 2017 No. 1 overall pick Markelle Fultz for the first time in their last outing against the Nuggets. -- Snellings

This week: @OKC, @DAL, MEM, IND

20. Detroit Pistons
Record: 3-4
Week 2 ranking: 23

The Pistons bounced back from consecutive losses with a win over the Nets on Saturday. With Blake Griffin still ailing, Andre Drummond has absolutely dominated the interior with three straight 20-20 points-rebounds efforts. He leads the league in rebounds, which isn't unusual, but he is also second in the league in blocks. -- Snellings

This week: @WSH, NY, @IND

21. Oklahoma City Thunder
Record: 2-4
Week 2 ranking: 20

Some things change, like playing against Russell Westbrook. But some things stay the same, like Damian Lillard icing the Thunder in crunch time. It's a developing theme for OKC: Close, competitive and right in it until the end, but a lack of cutting edge in the closing moments is keeping the team from winning games. It might feel like an offensive issue, but in reality, the Thunder's otherwise-stout defense is crumbling in the clutch. They are second to last in the league (behind only the Wizards) in clutch time defensive rating, allowing 142.5 points per 100 possessions in the final five minutes of a game within five points. -- Young

This week: ORL, @SA, GS, MIL

22. Charlotte Hornets
Record: 3-3
Week 2 ranking: 27

Raise your hand if you thought the Hornets would be 3-3 two weeks into the season. After being ranked dead last (again) in the most recent NBA Future Power Rankings, the Hornets have found early success with a duo of former second-round picks (Devonte' Graham and Dwayne Bacon) and four players selected in the first (PJ Washington, Malik Monk, Miles Bridges and Cody Zeller). Stuck on the treadmill of mediocrity for years with veterans on bloated contracts (Marvin Williams, Bismack Biyombo and Nicolas Batum), there may finally be a foundation in place in Charlotte. -- Marks

This week: IND, BOS, NO, @PHI

23. Chicago Bulls
Record: 2-5
Week 2 ranking: 24

A silver lining in the Bulls' slow start is that Zach LaVine joined rare company when he passed 2,000 career points in his 93 games with the team during a loss to the Indiana Pacers on Friday night. LaVine now has 2,020 points in his career with the Bulls; the only other Bulls to score over 2,000 in fewer games was Michael Jordan (73 games) and Derrick Rose (86). -- Spears

This week: LAL, @ATL, HOU

24. New Orleans Pelicans
Record: 1-5
Week 2 ranking: 21

The poor Pelicans still seem cursed when it comes to injury, despite poaching renowned athletic trainer Aaron Nelson from the Suns over the summer. Brandon Ingram's early exit from Saturday's loss to the Thunder due to a head injury meant four of the Pelicans' five projected starters have already missed time because of injury. That, of course, includes No. 1 overall pick Zion Williamson, whose highly anticipated NBA debut is still more than a month away. -- MacMahon

This week: @BKN, TOR, @CHA

25. Cleveland Cavaliers
Record: 2-4
Week 2 ranking: 28

We had pegged veteran Tristan Thompson as a player likely traded before the deadline because of his expiring contract and with the Cavaliers in a full rebuild. However, as evident by his 23-point, 10-rebound performance in a win against Chicago, the veteran might not only be a keeper but in contention for an All-Star spot in February. For the season, Thompson is averaging career highs of 17.6 points and 11.4 rebounds per game while shooting 56.9% from the field. -- Marks

This week: BOS, @WSH, @NY

26. Washington Wizards
Record: 1-4
Week 2 ranking: 26

The Wizards' defensive numbers may never fully recover from the game against the Rockets, but giving up 131 to a Karl-Anthony Towns-less Timberwolves team is probably a lower moment. In their last eight quarters, the Wizards have allowed 35 or more points six times. Coach Scott Brooks is praising the effort and competitive spirit of his group, which suggests their defensive problems might be an infrastructure issue. So maybe it can get better? -- Young

This week: DET, @IND, CLE

27. Golden State Warriors
Record: 1-5
Week 2 ranking: 17

The injury-plagued Warriors are 1-5 for the first time since the 2000-01 season and will be without All-Star Stephen Curry (hand) for at least three months, as the two-time MVP joins Klay Thompson, who is out for the foreseeable future as he continues his recovery from an ACL tear (Golden State is 2-10 in games both have missed, according to the Elias Sports Bureau). To make matters even worse, Draymond Green will likely miss the next few games with a torn ligament in his finger. -- Spears

This week: POR, @HOU, @MIN, @OKC

28. Sacramento Kings
Record: 2-5
Week 2 ranking: 29

Sacramento is off to a slow start, so it's no surprise the team is being careful with the return of one of its young cornerstones. Injured Kings forward Marvin Bagley III told ESPN's The Undefeated that he expects the franchise to err on the side of caution with his return. On Oct. 24, the Kings said that Bagley would be out four to six weeks with a nondisplaced fracture in his right thumb. The No. 2 overall pick in 2018 averaged 14.9 points and 7.6 rebounds per game in his first season in the NBA. -- Spears

This week: @TOR, @ATL

29. Memphis Grizzlies
Record: 1-4
Week 2 ranking: 25

Jaren Jackson Jr. leaving Saturday's loss to the Suns with a knee injury merits concern in Memphis. The 20-year-old franchise cornerstone, who missed 24 games as a rookie, needs minutes to continue his development and to establish chemistry with prized rookie point guard Ja Morant. Only three of Jackson's buckets have been assisted by Morant through five games. -- MacMahon

This week: HOU, MIN, @ORL, DAL

30. New York Knicks
Record: 1-6
Week 2 ranking: 30

The Knicks started the week with a 28-point Bobby Portis performance in a comeback win against Chicago, and ended it on a Jayson Tatum last-second shot in a loss to Boston. Sandwiched between was a 12-point loss at Orlando that saw New York get outscored 53-39 in the second half. Because of injuries at the point guard position and Dennis Smith Jr. out for personal reasons, New York has already featured four different starting lineups within the first two weeks of the season. In the loss to the Magic, rookie RJ Barrett started at the point and posted a team-worst minus-20 when he was on the court. -- Marks

This week: @DET, @DAL, CLE