MVP: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
The "Lamar Jackson won MVP last year, so somebody else should get it this year" narrative that's popped up recently is insane to me. To cross sports for a second, the NBA writers did that when they voted for Joel Embiid over Nikola Jokic for MVP following the 2022-23 season despite Jokic having a very strong case to win it for a 3rd straight year and people have understandably shit all over them for it ever since. Going against Jackson this year is particularly ridiculous since you're going to have a really hard time finding people that feel he was better in his 2 previous MVP campaigns than he was in 2024.
While having the unstoppable force that is Derrick Henry in the backfield made things a bit easier for him to make plays, the extra attention defenses paid to Henry can't be used as an excuse to write off Jackson's continued improvement as a passer in Todd Monken's system (4,172 YDS, 41 TD's, 66.7 CMP%-the former two of which are new career highs) and as a decisionmaker that allowed him to take just 23 sacks and throw 4 INT's-which is his lowest total since his rookie year in 2018 where he only started 7 games. On top of that, Jackson added 915 YDS and 4 TD's on only 139 rushing attempts-which made him the league leader in YDS per carry for the 4th time in his career. He's still going to invite (and deserve) criticism for not getting the job done in the playoffs, but he's become the dominant all-around QB that so many people around the league doubted he could be and it's awesome to witness. Honorable Mentions: Joe Burrow (Bengals), Josh Allen (Bills), Jayden Daniels (Commanders)
Offensive Player of the Year: Saquon Barkley (Eagles)
Barkley deciding to leave the wasteland of the Giants organization behind to play for the Eagles is the smartest professional decision he's ever made. Getting the opportunity to play behind a dominant offensive line and being able to stay healthy for a full season for just the 3rd time in his 7 NFL seasons allowed the star back to thrive like he never has before-rushing for a ridiculous 2,005 YDS and 13 TD's on 345 attempts (a whopping 5.8 YDS per carry, which is Madden-type shit for an RB that's getting such high volume). His 33/278/2 receiving line was the cherry on top of this dream season where his contributions were essential in getting the Eagles back to the Super Bowl.
Honorable Mentions: Derrick Henry (Ravens), Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Josh Jacobs (Packers)
Defensive Player of the Year: Zack Baun (Eagles)
Patrick Surtain II is the heavy favorite to take home the real DPOY award tonight and if that comes to be, he's a completely deserving winner. He was the best corner in the NFL this season by a wide margin and was the main reason the Broncos defense was such a pain in the ass to face most weeks. The reason I'm not going with Surtain II here is the Broncos pass defense finished 19th in the league because everybody else in the Broncos secondary besides Surtain and safety Brandon Jones kind of stunk, which made opposing offenses look elsewhere most of the time they threw (Surtain was only targeted 62 times in 16 games). Baun, on the other hand, was a frequent standout on the top defense in the league. DC Vic Fangio asked him to do everything a linebacker could possibly be asked to do over the course of each game (cover tight ends/backs in the passing game, rush the passer, play the run, etc.) and he handled the challenge beautifully-racking up 151 tackles, 3.5 sacks, 11 TFL's, 5 QB hits, 4 passes defensed, 5 forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and an INT. Major kudos to GM Howie Roseman for recognizing's Baun's talent in free agency this offseason despite his relative lack of starting experience (only 16 games!) over his 4 seasons with the Saints.
Honorable Mentions: Trey Hendrickson (Bengals), Myles Garrett (Browns), Patrick Surtain II (Broncos)
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jayden Daniels (Commanders)
No award was easier to pick a recipient of than this one. Daniels demonstrated a poise well beyond his years and an electrifying dynamism as he carried the Commanders from the bottom of the league all the way to the NFC Championship Game. If he can stay healthy, the future is unbelievably bright for this kid.
Honorable Mentions: Brock Bowers (Raiders), Malik Nabers (Giants), Brian Thomas Jr. (Jaguars)
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jared Verse (Rams)
The first Rams first round pick since 2016 is looking to be a really good one. While his sack total wasn't eye-popping (4.5), Verse managed to generate pressures (77-which ranked 4th among all edge rushers), hurries (56-2nd) and hits (15-5th) on the QB at an elite clip. He also proved to be an asset against the run, making 35 stops in the backfield over 17 games.
Honorable Mentions: Quinyon Mitchell (Eagles), Kamari Lassiter (Texans), Cooper DeJean (Eagles)
Coach of the Year: Kevin O'Connell (Vikings)
The complete unraveling that took place during their Week 18 and Wild Card losses to the Lions and Rams respectively have managed to overshadow what was an otherwise masterful season for O'Connell. Not only did he finally unlock Sam Darnold's franchise QB potential after the USC product who was selected 3rd overall in the 2018 draft bounced around the league over the past 6 seasons, he had this team playing sound, smart football that allowed them to pick up wins in a variety of ways and finish the regular season with a 14-3 record that would've earned them prime playoff seeding if they weren't in the same division as the 15-2 Lions.
Honorable Mentions: Dan Quinn (Commanders), Jim Harbaugh (Chargers), Sean McVay (Rams)
Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Burrow (Bengals)
Watching Burrow repeatedly shake his surgically repaired wrist on the bench to keep it loose between drives during the Bengals embarrassing Week 1 loss to the Patriots made it seem like he was in trouble for the 2024 season. The opposite ended up being true as Burrow probably would've had the best case (4,918 YDS, 43 TD's, 9 INT's, 70.6 CMP%) to challenge Lamar Jackson for MVP if the Bengals had been able to make it to the playoffs, which is an incredible thing for a QB coming off a serious injury to his throwing hand to accomplish.
Honorable Mentions: Sam Darnold (Vikings), Christian Gonzalez (Patriots), J.K. Dobbins (Chargers)
All-Pro Teams:
Quarterback:
1st team: Lamar Jackson (Ravens)
2nd team: Joe Burrow (Bengals)
Running Back:
1st team: Saquon Barkley (Eagles), Derrick Henry (Ravens)
2nd team: Josh Jacobs (Packers), Bijan Robinson (Falcons)
Wide Receiver:
1st team: Ja'Marr Chase (Bengals), Justin Jefferson (Vikings)
2nd team: Amon-Ra St. Brown (Lions), Drake London (Falcons)
Tight End:
1st team: George Kittle (49ers)
2nd team: Brock Bowers (Raiders)
Tackle:
1st team: Jordan Mailata (Eagles), Zach Tom (Packers)
2nd team: Rashawn Slater (Chargers), Penei Sewell (Lions)
Guard:
1st team: Chris Lindstrom (Falcons), Kevin Zeitler (Lions)
2nd team: Quenton Nelson (Colts), Quinn Minerz (Broncos)
Center:
1st team: Creed Humphrey (Chiefs)
2nd team: Frank Ragnow (Lions)
Defensive End:
1st team: Myles Garrett (Browns), Trey Hendrickson (Bengals)
2nd team: Nick Bosa (49ers), Leonard Williams (Seahawks)
Defensive Tackle:
1st team: Cameron Heyward (Steelers), Chris Jones (Chiefs)
2nd team: Jeffrey Simmons (Titans), Dexter Lawrence (Giants)
Outside Linebacker:
1st team: T.J. Watt (Steelers), Jonathan Greenard (Vikings)
2nd team: Jared Verse (Rams), Khalil Mack (Chargers)
Inside Linebacker:
1st team: Zack Baun (Eagles), Fred Warner (49ers)
2nd team: Bobby Wagner (Commanders), Jordyn Brooks (Dolphins)
Cornerback:
1st team: Patrick Surtain II (Broncos), Trent McDuffie (Chiefs)
2nd team: Christian Benford (Bills), Marlon Humphrey (Ravens)
Safety:
1st team: Kerby Joseph (Lions), Xavier McKinney (Packers)
2nd team: Kyle Hamilton (Ravens), Brandon Jones (Broncos)
Kicker:
1st team: Chris Boswell (Steelers)
2nd team: Cameron Dicker (Chargers)
Punter:
1st team: Jack Fox (Lions)
2nd team: Logan Cooke (Jaguars)
Return Specialist:
1st team: KaVontae Turpin (Cowboys), Marvin Mims Jr. (Broncos)
2nd team: Austin Ekeler (Commanders), Kalif Raymond (Lions)
Special Teamer:
1st team: Brenden Schooler (Patriots)
2nd team: J.T. Gray (Saints)
Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 Predictions:
Jared Allen, defensive end (Teams: Kansas City Chiefs, Minnesota Vikings, Chicago Bears, Carolina Panthers)
Willie Anderson, tackle (Teams: Cincinnati Bengals, Baltimore Ravens)
Antonio Gates, tight end (Team: San Diego/Los Angeles Chargers)
Torry Holt, wide receiver (Teams: St. Louis Rams, Jacksonville Jaguars)
Darren Woodson, safety (Team: Dallas Cowboys)
Who I'd Vote for If I Had a Ballot:
Jared Allen
Antonio Gates
Torry Holt
Luke Kuechly, inside linebacker (Team: Carolina Panthers)
Marshal Yanda, guard (Team: Baltimore Ravens)
No comments:
Post a Comment