The 2014 NFL regular season has come to a close. With certain quarterbacks having their best seasons (Ben Roethlisberger, Tony Romo, Joe Flacco, Andrew Luck, and Ryan Tannehill), as well as the emergence of an elite WR draft class (Odell Beckham Jr, Mike Evans, Sammy Watkins, Jordan Matthews, Martavis Bryant, Jarvis Landry, Marqise Lee, etc), and the excellent season of a continually progressing defensive force in J.J. Watt and a bright young cast of defenders (Khali Mack, Chris Borland, CJ Mosley, etc), it was another satisfying year for football (despite all the penalties).
Before we get to the Week 17 Awards, I’ll leave you with a couple of 2014 facts:
- For the first time in NFL history, the leader in passing yardage has been a tie (Ben Roethlisberger and Drew Brees both have 4,952 yards).
- JJ Watt is the first defender to ever have multiple seasons of 20+ sacks.
- The Chiefs scored 0 wide receiver touchdowns this season
- Odell Beckham Jr has the most receiving yards in a WR’s first 12 games (1,305)
- No quarterback passed for 5,000 yards, a first since 2010.
- The Carolina Panthers made the playoffs in back to back seasons for the first time in franchise history.
With this being reflected upon, let’s get to the awards.
Best QB: Geno Smith (New York Jets)
It’s so appropriate that in Rex Ryan’s swan song game, Geno Smith would have his best performance of his career.
Geno Smith’s long been a ridiculed quarterback despite showing gasps of raw talent. And on Sunday, he played a career game against the Dolphins. Geno excelled on the deep ball, throwing accurate bombs to Eric Decker in single coverage as well as quick ziplines on inside routes. Even when under pressure, he still delivered at a high level.
Smith was the only quarterback this season to deliver a perfect passer rating of 158.3. The future looks extremely uncertain, but performances like these prove there is hope for Geno Smith. Of course, if the Jets don’t hire an offensive minded guru that can actually coach a quarterback, we’ll continue to see Gang Green struggle.
With that said, Geno Smith went 20/25 for 358 yards, 3 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, and a 94.4 QBR. The Jets won 37-24.
Honorable Mentions: Aaron Rodgers, Tony Romo, Cam Newton, Peyton Manning
Best RB: Lamar Miller (Miami Dolphins)
It’s been an up and down year the 3rd year runningback, but Lamar Miller finished it on a high note, rushing for over 1,000 yards on the season.
On Sunday, Miller delivered a solid running performance. Lamar was productive throughout the whole day, but saved his best on a 97-yard touchdown run that allowed him to break the 1,000 rushing mark. Opportunities like this were when he found holes in the Jets front 7 and exploited them.
Miller finished with 197 yards, 1 touchdown, and 9.4 yards per carry.
Honorable Mentions: Justin Forsett, Frank Gore, Doug Martin, DeMarco Murray
Best WR: Eric Decker (New York Jets)
You’d think going from Peyton Manning to Geno Smith would be a huge downgrade, and you’d be right, if it was any other week.
On Week 17, Eric Decker was masterful, combining terrific separation with quickness and perfect route running, inspiring a 350+ yard performance from Geno. This is exactly the kind of connection Jets fans expected at the beginning of the season, and better late than never I suppose. With Geno Smith’s deep ball accuracy, Decker caught 10 passes for 221 yards, a touchdown, and 22.1 yards per reception.
Honorable Mentions: Odell Beckham Jr, Antonio Brown, Reuben Randle, Andre Johnson
Best TE: Coby Fleener (Indianapolis Colts)
Colts tight end Coby Fleener has gradually improved into a reliable guy for Andrew Luck and company, and showcased it on Sunday. His speed and precision on Sunday provided with 2 touchdown catches and 56 yards. While there is work to do on his coverage, Fleener did more than enough to secure a Colts 27-10 win over the Titans.
Honorable Mentions: Travis Kelce, Jordan Reed, Antonio Gates, Vergil Green
Defensive Player of the Week: J.J. Watt (Houston Texans)
A sixth DPOW win for Watt, he’s the obvious Defensive Player of the Year, it’s not even close. He’s been an MVP candidate all season (though I’d give it to a QB like Aaron Rodgers), and showcased a feasting on the Jaguars offensive line on Sunday.
Watt allowed little room for error, if any, owning Jacksonville and sacking Blake Bortles like taking candy away from a baby. As a testament to Watt’s unheralded skill-set, he posted 3 sacks, 4 tackles for a loss, 3 QB hits, and forced a fumble. His dominance for the 2014 season has been something not seen since Lawrence Taylor’s MVP season back in 1986 (the last defender to win MVP).
It’ll be tough to explain how Watt isn’t on his way to becoming the greatest defender in NFL history. He’s just that good.
Best Kicker: Connor Barth (Denver Broncos)
Yep. The Broncos have solved their kicking problems (knock on wood for the playoffs). Connor Barth was perfect in field goal range, kicking 4/4, including a long of 49, as well as 5/5 on extra points.
Biggest Upset AND Best Team: Carolina Panthers
I should know better than to trust the 2014 Atlanta Falcons, but I didn’t expect a blowout of this magnitude. As rough of a season Cam Newton has had, he’s done enough to guide the Panthers to back-to-back division titles in a craptastic division.
Matt Ryan played terrible, but let’s not act like his cast didn’t. Fullback Patrick DiMarco dropped an easy walk-in touchdown pass earlier in the game, and the Falcons allowed 6 sacks. Both of Ryan’s pick sixes (yes there were multiple) are on him though. The first is one of the worst throws I’ve ever seen.
As for Cam Newton, he continued a solid December finish, advancing the ball well whenever he passed and taking command of the run game for 51 yards and a rushing touchdown of 13.
Meanwhile, 2013 DPOY LB Luke Kuechly put on a solid game, with 6 tackles, a tackle for a loss, and 2 pass deflections, while Roman Harper had an interception for a touchdown and a pass deflection. In total, Carolina came up with 6 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 8 deflected passes, 2 pick sixes, and TWELVE QB hits as they clinched the NFC South and will face the Arizona Cardinals next Saturday,
Keep Pounding.
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Main Photo by Scott Halleran/Getty Images
