WS Chronicle

This has been another unpredictable NFL season. With all of the injuries, missed games due to COVID-19 protocols, and sketchy quarterback play, it was truly a guessing game week in and week out as to who would win in many games.  

All of this uncertainty has led to many questions surrounding the postseason award winners. I don’t think there are many surefire winners of many awards. We all know sometimes the rightful winner does not always win, but I think I have a pretty good pulse on the league, so here are my predictions for award winners and why.

Most Valuable Player:  Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers Quarterback

Yes, Rodgers won the award last season with an amazing season like we have hardly ever seen in the league. In that season he threw for 4,299 yards, 48 touchdowns, and only five interceptions. Those numbers would be hard to match for anyone. This season, while dealing with injuries of his own, Rodgers passed for 4,115 yards with 37 touchdowns and only four interceptions during the regular season this year. And let’s not forget that Rodgers is doing all of this at age 38.

Rodgers may get some push from players like Jonathan Taylor, the Indianapolis Colts’ running back who has had a phenomenal year as well. Unfortunately, his team did not make the playoffs, which will more than likely hurt his chances. Tom Brady, Cooper Kupp and Joe Burrow were all players who also have made a strong case for MVP this season. Brady has carried the Bucs through a myriad of injuries. Kupp has had one of the greatest seasons by a receiver in league history. And Burrow has taken the Bengals from laughingstock to the top of the division a year after tearing up his knee. They all make great cases and everyone of them are valuable to their team. But for me, Rodgers stands above them all.

Offensive Player of the Year, Cooper Kupp, Los Angeles Rams

Cooper Kupp exploded this with the addition of Matthew Stafford at quarterback for the Rams. Kupp was already one of the better receivers in the league, but this season he is putting up historic numbers. Kupp had 145 catches, 1,947 yards and 16 touchdowns in the regular season. Defenses were geared to stop him, but they couldn’t. Week in and week out, he was putting up video game numbers in games.

Kupp lost his running mate Robert Woods to a torn ACL earlier in the season and the Rams replaced him with Odell Beckham Jr. Even with OBJ on the team, Kupp remained the focus of the passing game for the Rams. Kupp has established himself as one of the best in the business right now.

Defensive Player of the Year: T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers

T.J. Watt has been in the conversation for defensive player of the year for the last few seasons. He has come up just short every season, but I feel this year will be different for the four-time Pro-Bowl and three-time All-Pro player. Watt tied Michael Strahan for most sacks in a season with 22 ½.

Along with his lofty sack total, Watt also had 64 combined tackles, 39 quarterback hits and 15 hurries. Watt does have some competition out there from guys like Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, and Darius Leonard. I think the only guy who deserves the award if it doesn’t go to Watt is Garrett. I know these awards are not lifetime achievement awards, but with his stats and what he has done over the last few years, Watt deserves to win, in my opinion.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Ja’Marr Chase, Cincinnati Bengals

This is one of the awards that I mentioned earlier is a no-brainer. He should be a unanimous winner for this award for what he has done this season. Chase caught 81 passes for a staggering 1,455 yards and 13 touchdowns. At times, he looked like one of the best receivers in the league as a rookie.

For his efforts, Chase was selected as a Pro-Bowler in his first year. It is very rare for a rookie receiver to acclimate himself to the league so quickly, but Chase has made the transition look seamless. I actually questioned the pick of Chase by the Bengals because I thought they had other needs to address first and already had a solid receiving core. I will admit that I was wrong on that one. Chase looks to be a threat for years to come.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys

As much as I hate to admit it, Parsons has only cemented himself as the no-doubt rookie of the year on defense. His ability to play different positions on the field really separates himself from not only other rookies, but almost all other players in the league. Parsons is very versatile and that has allowed him to accumulate some impressive stats as a rookie.

Parsons played primarily as a linebacker, but has also played on the defensive line, and in the secondary. He had 13 sacks, 84 tackles and three forced fumbles. Parsons was not only named to the Pro-Bowl, but was also named First-Team All-Pro as well. That is very impressive for a rookie who is playing on a defense that was so maligned last year. We haven’t seen a defensive rookie play this well in several years.

Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans

When I first thought about the winner of this award, I was torn between Vrabel and Bengals’ head coach Zac Taylor. Both men have done a phenomenal job with their teams, but what separated the two was how well the Titans played after losing their best player, Derrick Henry. Henry was leading the NFL in rushing when he was lost to injury and many thought the Titans’ season would be lost as well.

Vrabel kept the team together and they finished with a 12-5 record on the season and won the AFC South. Not only did they make the playoffs without Henry, the Titans are the No.1 seed and have a first-round bye. They have home field advantage throughout and have a good chance of making it to the Super Bowl.  

Comeback Player of the Year: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals

This award also involved some thought for me. I chose to go with Burrow, but you can’t forget what Dallas Cowboys’ quarterback Dak Prescott has done after suffering a devastating leg injury last season.  

Burrow tore his ACL and even though modern medicine has gotten better, that is still a tough injury to return from. Burrow came back this season with a vengeance. He threw for 4,611 yards and 34 touchdowns to only 14 interceptions. Even though Prescott had a great year, I chose to go with Burrow because I felt he did more with less talent.