WS Chronicle

The NFL season is not quite at the midway point. I think enough games have been played for us to get an accurate assessment of how the rest of the season will play out for players, barring injury of course. So, with that being said, these are my predictions for the end of season awards for the NFL.

Most Valuable Player: Russell Wilson, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has been putting up some eye-popping numbers so far this year, throwing for 15 touchdowns, one interception and nearly 2,000 yards. Wilson is also completing over 70% of his passes. His team sits at 5-2 and is in great shape for yet another playoff run. Wilson does not have the greatest compliment of weapons at his disposal, so the great numbers he is putting up is even more impressive. 

Coach of the Year: Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
This was one of the harder choices, because there are a few coaches who are deserving of this honor. At first, I was leaning toward Sean Peyton (New Orleans Saints) because his team is sitting at 6-1, with 5 of those victories coming with the backup quarterback. I also gave a lot of thought to choosing Matt LaFleur (Green Bay Packers) because he has the Packers at 6-1 as a rookie head coach. There was talk of a riff between LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers during the off-season, but all seems well in Green Bay. I finally decided to go with Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers). Shanahan and the Niners are 6-0 and have one of the best defenses in the league. They have beaten some quality teams and Shanahan looks to have them headed in the right direction.

Offensive Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, Carolina Panthers
This was almost a no-brainer pick for me. McCaffrey is the offense for the Panthers. The dual threat back has been lighting it up in the absence of quarterback Cam Newton. McCaffrey has carried the offensive load for the Panthers. He has rushed for 618 yards and 7 touchdowns and also leads the team in receptions with 35, with two touchdown receptions. Everyone in the stadium knows that McCaffrey is getting the ball, but he is still able to put up great numbers.

Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
The third-year man out of Texas A&M University is leading the league in sacks with 9. Garrett has freakish speed and agility for a man his size (6’4” 272 lbs.) and he is finally looking like he was worthy of his No.1 overall selection in the 2017 draft. Garrett has been very disruptive this year, as he is not only a sack artist, he is also formidable as a run stopper. He has not even reached his physical prime yet, so the best is yet to come for this budding superstar.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Kyler Murray, Arizona Cardinals
Murray got off to a slow start to the season. He was selected as No.1 overall in this year’s draft and big things were expected out of him, due to his tremendous athletic ability. Murray has thrown for 1,768 yards with 7 touchdowns. The former Heisman Trophy winner has blazing speed with a cannon for an arm. Many of his highlights look like he is running for his life behind a porous offensive line, but Murray is one of the few bright spots for the Cardinals.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Devin Bush, Pittsburgh Steelers
I struggled with going with Bush or with 49er rookie Nick Bosa. Bosa did not light it up right away, but has played very well the last few weeks and has 4 sacks on the season. I went with Bush because of how he has made plays all over the field for the Steelers. Bush has 52 tackles, 2 interceptions and one sack so far. He has fit right in with the Pittsburgh defense and may have a shot at making the Pro Bowl with his stellar play.

Comeback Player of the Year: Jimmy Garoppolo, San Francisco 49ers
Jimmy G, as he is nicknamed, was the obvious choice for this award. His team is undefeated at 6-0, even though he is not playing top notch football right now. Garoppolo was sidelined early last year with a torn ACL in a game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Now that he is healthy, Garoppolo is seeking to prove that he is one of the elite quarterbacks in the game.