Los Angeles Chargers

San Diego Chargers: Handing out our midseason awards

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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The 2016 NFL regular season is already halfway over. Though many fans likely feel the win-loss record should be a lot better based on certain circumstances, the San Diego Chargers sit at 3-5 at the halfway point.

But that can be fixed as there are still eight games to play. The Chargers have deal with one devastating injury after another this season, yet they’ve managed to be in every game they’ve lost.

Here, we are going to look back across those first eight games and hand out some awards. Who was the team’s best offensive player? Which player is holding up the defensive side of the of the ball?

Read on for all the answers and see if our picks match yours. If they don’t, there’s always the comments section below to let us know where we went wrong.

Oct 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Chargers running back Melvin Gordon (28) celebrates after he scored a rushing touchdown in the second quarter of their game against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. Mandatory Credit: Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Player of the Year: Melvin Gordon

Running back Melvin Gordon has had a fantastic bounce-back season after many felt that he was a bust following a poor rookie year.

Though he is only averaging 3.6 yards per carry, Gordon has already rushed for 572 yards on the year, which is just 69 yards less than he ran for all of last year. In addition, he has found the end zone 10 times, something he didn’t do once as a rookie.

Gordon has helped the Chargers keep a balanced offense. More importantly, he’s given fans hope that the team will have a great running back for many years to come, much as it did when LaDainian Tomlinson was around.

Gordon has also chipped in on the passing game, catching 33 passes on the year. In fact, only Travis Benjamin has caught more passes for the team.

The Chargers have lost Keenan Allen, Danny Woodhead and Stevie Johnson to season-ending injuries. Gordon has stepped up and been the player that Philip Rivers can rely on and he is unquestionably the offensive player of the year so far for the team.

Maybe he was worth that first-round pick that the team used on him in last year’s draft after all.

Sep 18, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers defensive back Casey Hayward (26) intercepts a pass during the second quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Qualcomm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Player of the Year: Casey Hayward

Many of you may have been expecting to see Denzel Perryman here, but Casey Hayward has just been too good. In his first year with the team, Hayward has been one of the best free-agent signings in the entire league.

With injuries all over the secondary, Hayward has been the one constant for San Diego. His 38 tackles rank second on the team and his four interceptions are second in the league, behind only Marcus Peters of the Kansas City Chiefs who has five.

With Jason Verrett out for the season, Hayward has routinely been drawing the opposition’s No.1 wide receiver. That hasn’t prevented him from having 11 passes defensed and returning an interception for a touchdown.

Perryman has become the leader on defense and is probably the best overall player on the defensive side of the ball, but where would the Chargers be without the contributions of Hayward this season?

Oct 23, 2016; Atlanta, GA, USA; San Diego Chargers kicker Josh Lambo (2) celebrates a victory after a game winning kick against the Atlanta Falcons at the Georgia Dome. The Chargers defeated the Falcons 33-30. Mandatory Credit: Brett Davis-USA TODAY Sports

Best Special Teams Player: Josh Lambo

The Chargers are still a team that is challenged in the kick and punt return department. Rookie punter Drew Kaser has put together a decent first half of the season, but placekicker Josh Lambo has kicked the ball even better.

Lambo has converted on 17 of the 19 field goals he’s attempted this season, and one of those misses came from over 50 yards. He’s been incredibly reliable. Coming into Week 9, Lambo ranked third in the NFL in scoring.

He has missed two extra points, which is unacceptable, even if the kicks are longer than they used to be, but you’ll have a hard time saying anything else negative about this excellent kicker.

Oct 13, 2016; San Diego, CA, USA; San Diego Chargers outside linebacker Jatavis Brown (57) gestures from the field during the second half of the game against the Denver Broncos at Qualcomm Stadium. San Diego won 21-13. Mandatory Credit: Orlando Ramirez-USA TODAY Sports

Best Rookie: Jatavis Brown

The San Diego Chargers hit pay dirt with their 2016 draft class. General manager Tom Telesco did a great job in finding players who can contribute for years to come.

Tight end Hunter Henry has been great at times and there is little doubt that Joey Bosa will end up being dominant. However, he’s only played in half of the team’s games, so Jatavis Brown is the right pick for this award. At the end of the season, things might be different, but through eight games, Brown has been terrific.

Selected in the fifth round out of Akron, Brown leads the team with 54 tackles. That’s 16 more than any other player on the team. He also played in a limited role for part of the season when Manti Te’o was healthy.

Brown is also third on the team with three sacks to go along with five passes defensed and two forced fumbles. In just eight games, Brown has shown he can be a complete player in the league and it appears the Chargers got a real steal with the No. 175 overall pick.

Oct 30, 2016; Denver, CO, USA; San Diego Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers (17) passes in the second quarter against the Denver Broncos at Sports Authority Field at Mile High. Mandatory Credit: Isaiah J. Downing-USA TODAY Sports

Team MVP: Philip Rivers

Like there was any doubt.

Philip Rivers is still the glue that holds this team together and he’s having another great season. He’s doing that without the help of many key offensive weapons, yet he just keeps the offense moving.

On the year, Rivers has thrown for 2,285 yards while completing 62.3 percent of his throws. He’s on pace to throw for over 4,500 yards and 30 touchdowns, numbers any quarterback would gladly take.

Rivers rarely gets mentioned in the “best quarterback in the league” talk, but if you think a 3-5 record is bad, imagine what it would be if this team didn’t have Rivers under center.