Mark Craig's Sunday Insider: On further review, let's backtrack

Six of the NFL's eight divisions enter Week 9 with new leaders from the end of last season. In other words, that Chargers-Vikings Super Bowl preseason prediction is looking a tad outdated heading into November.

Now two teams removed from Randy Moss, the New England Patriots are still the league's only one-loss team. Meanwhile, the weak ... er, wide-open NFC will be down to no more than a pair of two-loss teams after the Buccaneers (5-2) play the Falcons (5-2) in Atlanta on Sunday. The Giants (5-2) are at Seattle (4-3).

"One important thing the Patriots have with Bill Belichick is they don't beat themselves," former Colts coach and current NBC analyst Tony Dungy said by phone recently. "When I played for Chuck Noll [in Pittsburgh], he'd always tell us, 'Don't beat yourself and there's a good chance you'll win.' That's especially true today."

If the Giants are the best team in the NFC, as some experts are saying (this week anyway), then there's hope in the season's second half for just about every team this side of Dallas (1-6). Although the Giants have won four consecutive games, they're still a sloppy team that's turned the ball over 21 times, third-most in the NFL. That includes a league-high 11 interceptions by Eli Manning.

Now let's take a look back at the first half of the season:

Most Valuable Player: Peyton Manning, Colts

The four-time MVP is the reason the Colts have won at least 12 games for seven consecutive seasons. He's the reason they win no matter how many injuries they sustain. Well, he's doing it again this season, even without tight end Dallas Clark, who's out for the season (wrist).

"It's a no-brainer," Seahawks linebacker Aaron Curry said. "He gets the ball every snap, and it seems like he has his own game plan going on in his brain. You're just not getting the same thing that was on film. You get whatever he decides he wants to give you. He shows you what he wants to show you and then he does something else. A magician."

Coach of the Year: Mike Tomlin, Steelers

Tomlin edged Chiefs coach Todd Haley, 25-22, in the Sporting News poll. Going 3-1 without Ben Roethlisberger to start the season put the former Vikings defensive coordinator out front for this honor.

Defensive MVP: James Harrison, Steelers

Packers linebacker Clay Matthews was the runaway winner in the Sporting News poll, beating Harrison 38-12. But I'm going with Harrison. He has a team-high six sacks, one interception and is the most physical force (legal and illegal) on the league's No. 1-ranked scoring defense (14.6).

"He uses his size and speed to great effect and isn't afraid to lay the wood on someone," Raiders cornerback Stanford Routt said. "When he hits you, you're going to know it for sure. He's a beast."

Midseason Super Bowl XLV prediction: Colts vs. Giants