We have some notes on that and the latest coaching carousel rumors in the notes at the bottom of this column, but this week we are stepping back a bit to take a look at the players who have most defined the 2018 NFL season, a campaign that will be remembered for the arrival of a new wave of young star quarterbacks and for being one of the highest-scoring seasons in NFL history.

1. Patrick Mahomes, QB, Kansas City Chiefs

He is one of the best young quarterbacks to enter the league in decades. Whether it’s his strong arm, great running ability or uncanny way of making unconventional yet incredible throws (from sidearm to no-look passes), Mahomes has propelled the Chiefs to the top of the AFC standings with 48 touchdown passes and 4,816 passing yards. A win at home against the Raiders will give the Chiefs home-field advantage throughout the playoffs, and Mahomes has a great chance of being this year’s MVP.

What’s remarkable is how much Mahomes has overcome the pressure of compensating for a defense that gives up 27.9 points a game. Longtime quarterbacks will tell you that if you play for a defense giving up that many points, the quarterback has to make every possession count and is often forced into throwing too many interceptions.

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Mahomes, however, has only 11 picks, and his 2 percent interception rate is one of the lowest in the league. He’s the real deal. We will long remember his arrival as one of the defining events of the 2018 season.

2. Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints

The Saints locked up home-field advantage Sunday with a victory over the Pittsburgh Steelers. That means the road to the Super Bowl goes through New Orleans in the NFC, and there couldn’t be a better driver than Brees.

His numbers have been remarkable, and the three-way battle for the MVP among Mahomes, Brees and Philip Rivers will go down to the final week. The Saints are 13-2, and Brees has completed 74.4 percent of his passes and is eight yards away from having 13 consecutive 4,000-yard seasons.

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Brees makes more out of less. The offense is built around three main weapons: wide receiver Michael Thomas and running backs Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram. The rest of his wide receiving corps are rookies and undrafted players.

3. Philip Rivers, QB, Los Angeles Chargers

Without question, this has been the best season of Rivers’s great career. At 11-4, the Chargers are a tiebreaker shy of winning the AFC West and being the No. 1 seed (they lose out to Kansas City based on divisional record), and he’s in the battle for the league’s MVP.

The Chargers are four-deep with quality receivers, and Rivers gets the most out of them. Offensive coordinator Ken Whisenhunt has given Rivers the license to use more checkdowns. That makes it harder for defenses to get to him for sacks. He has done it all with virtually no home-field advantage, as visiting fans often outnumber Chargers fans at the StubHub Center.

4. Andrew Luck, QB, Indianapolis Colts

Luck should end up winning comeback player of the year. His comeback from shoulder problems that had plagued him since 2016 has been incredible.

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The Colts started 1-5. At the beginning of the season, Luck didn’t have full strength on his throws. Each week he got stronger, and the offensive line gave him the time to regain his confidence. Like Brees, Luck gets more out of less. His only proven wide receiver is T.Y. Hilton, yet he has still thrown for 4,308 yards and 36 touchdowns and has been sacked only 17 times.

Luck needs to beat the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night to get the Colts into the playoffs.

5. Khalil Mack, edge rusher, Chicago Bears

When Jon Gruden traded Mack to the Bears, you figured Mack would be worth about two wins to a team that was on the rise. What no one knew was that the Bears would be 11-4 with one of the best defenses in football.

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No defense has been more impactful in the NFC than Chicago’s, and Mack is the biggest reason for it. He has 12 1/2 sacks, and even though he will likely lose defensive player of the year honors to Aaron Donald, who has 19 1/2 sacks, Mack has been a star and is a true game-wrecker coming off the edge.

6. Todd Gurley, RB, Los Angeles Rams

In losses to the Chicago Bears and Philadelphia Eagles, Gurley’s value to the Los Angeles offense was apparent. Both opponents dedicated extra resources to slowing down Gurley, and quarterback Jared Goff struggled.

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Rams Coach Sean McVay designed his offense around Gurley running and catching the ball, and Gurley has been the team’s most valuable player for the second year in a row. He holds the key to the Rams’ Super Bowl chances and has arguably been the best of a wave of talented young running backs, including the Saints’ Alvin Kamara, Panthers’ Christian McCaffrey and Giants’ Saquon Barkley.

7. Deshaun Watson, QB, Houston Texans

Watson might be the most underappreciated player in the league. Thanks to brilliant managing by Texans Coach Bill O’Brien, Watson has the Texans at 10-5 despite playing behind the worst offensive line in football.

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No quarterback has been hit more than Watson, who has been sacked 56 times. After five games watching Watson getting pounded by defenses, O’Brien changed the offense and tried his best to limit Watson to 26 throws a game and not to let the Texans fall behind by more than two scores in the first half.

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Despite throwing only 30 passes a game, Watson has 3,931 yards and 26 touchdowns. His completion percentage is 68.1. Sunday’s 32-30 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles may have ruined the Texans’ chance of stealing the No. 2 seed away from the New England Patriots.

8. Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks

Coach Pete Carroll needed to redo the Seahawks. He hired Brian Schottenheimer as offensive coordinator and Mike Solari as offensive line coach to try to improve one of the league’s worst running offenses. The strategy worked, as the Seahawks have featured the league’s best running attack.

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Wilson’s ability to manage the running game and work play-action passes has been exceptional. Even though he is averaging only 27 passing attempts per game, Wilson has thrown 34 touchdown passes and completed 66 percent of his throws. He has been as valuable as any of the league’s top QBs and makes Seattle a dangerous playoff opponent.

9. Baker Mayfield, QB, Cleveland Browns

Mayfield has been a savior for a franchise that has been a graveyard for quarterbacks. Even though they were eliminated from playoff contention, the Browns have a chance to have a winning season, and Mayfield is the biggest reason.

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He’s 6-6 as a starter and has won five of the past six games. For the season, he has completed 64.6 percent of his passes and has 24 touchdowns. Most importantly, he has made the Browns relevant.

10. Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Jackson’s improbable run to the playoffs is an example of the creativity in the league this season. His ability to win with his running and the occasional big throw has saved Coach John Harbaugh’s job. It also has the Ravens on the cusp of winning the AFC North.

There are long-term sustainability questions about this approach, given the number of hits Jackson is taking and his 58 percent completion rate during this 5-1 stretch, but for this season, at least, the Ravens’ Jackson-led turnaround has been one of the defining stories.

Story lines from around the NFL

— If you are wondering why I’m not including Aaron Donald in this list of 10, it’s because the Rams aren’t winning because of their defense. They are giving up 23.9 points a game, which isn’t bad, but it isn’t great, either. Donald is still having a great year, setting the record with 19 1/2 sacks for a defensive tackle, and is three shy of the league record for sacks.

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— There is a possibility recently fired Packers coach Mike McCarthy could sit out next season. According to people familiar with him, McCarthy has to be completely satisfied with a job to take it. While he’s a natural for the Cleveland job, he might pass if he doesn’t think it’s a perfect fit. His feeling is it wouldn’t be a bad idea to take a year away from coaching to regroup and recharge.

— It is looking more and more likely that Steve Wilks will be one-and-done as Arizona’s head coach. This has been one of the worst seasons in Cardinals history. They look lost on offense and defense. If he is fired, it would be interesting to see if Ron Rivera could bring him back as defensive coordinator — that is, of course, if Rivera keeps his job in Carolina.

— Don’t be surprised if Doug Marrone gets a pass and keeps his job in Jacksonville. According to people familiar with the Jaguars, Marrone and personnel executive Tom Coughlin will stress to ownership that injuries were the main reason for the Jaguars’ downturn. It is true that the offensive line, receiving corps and tight end position were destroyed by injuries. Blake Bortles was bad at quarterback and the defense totally underachieved, which would lead to a coordinator change.

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If Marrone is fired, however, there could be eight head coaching changes, most since the 11 in 2009.

— It seems certain the New York Giants will stay with Eli Manning for one more year, but they will look closely at getting a quarterback of the future in the draft. That would be similar to what the Baltimore Ravens did this year.

— Speaking of the Ravens, Joe Flacco won’t be back with them next season, now that Jackson has settled into the starting job. Flacco could go to Jacksonville. Tampa Bay is another potential destination if Jameis Winston isn’t brought back. The Washington Redskins could look at him if Alex Smith isn’t able to come back next season from his broken leg, which was complicated by a bad infection, but they may not be able to afford Flacco, given that Smith’s 2019 salary is guaranteed for injury.

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— While Jim Harbaugh will draw the interest of several NFL teams, he’s all but a lock to stay at Michigan for another year. With Urban Meyer retiring, Harbaugh has the recruiting edge in the Big Ten and has a great chance to break his four-game losing streak to Ohio State.