As the 2015 season comes to a close, the finalists for the NFL Awards ceremony become clearer. On February 6th, the NFL will announce the winners of several awards including the Coach of The Year, Comeback Player of The Year, Defensive and Offensive Players and Rookies of the year, and the MVP. Every year, it’s a hot button issue that is discussed from the pre-season to the off-season, and that’s no different in 2016.
Predicting the 2016 NFL Awards
Coach of the Year
As far as Coach of the Year is concerned, there are really only three candidates, and two of them are no strangers to this position. Bill Belichick finds himself in familiar position as his Patriots have not only locked up the division, but a first round bye in the playoffs for the sixth year in a row. Arizona’s Bruce Arians has already won the award twice with the Cardinals as well as the Indianapolis Colts, but with a 12-2 record, his team is one of the hottest in the league. Ultimately, the favorite for the award has to be Carolina’s Ron Rivera. His Panthers will likely finish the season with an undefeated record, one of the league’s best defenses, and a versatile offense. It’s hard to see the voters give the award to anyone else.
Comeback Player of the Year
There are even fewer legitimate options for Comeback Player of the Year, but the award could go either way. It comes down to Carson Palmer and Adrian Peterson. Carson Palmer was on a roll in 2014, but ultimately he tore his ACL and missed the last ten games of the season. Many experts feared that Palmer would struggle to rebound after his injury like he did in 2005, but with a hot start, his Cardinals are division champs and he’s in the conversation for MVP. He’s thrown for 4,277 yards, 32 touchdowns, and nine interceptions through fourteen games. His biggest competition is Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson. After playing one game in 2014, Peterson currently leads the league in rushing with over 1,300 rushing yards and two games remaining. Either player could be considered for comeback or even offensive player of the year. Ultimately, Palmer will likely get the nod as his team is not only in the playoffs, but a strong contender for the Super Bowl, while the Vikings are only in the wild card conversation and will have to travel to every playoff game.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Unlike the other awards, there aren’t many candidates coming after this award. New York’s Leonard Williams was the easy favorite when the season started, but despite being surrounded by talent, he started slow and has struggled to make a defined impact. The defensive rookie with the most obvious impact has been Kansas City’s Marcus Peters. He’s struggled at points this season, but during Kansas City’s run, he’s been incredible. In only his rookie year, his seven interceptions are good enough for second best in the league, and he’s got two return touchdowns. As the Chiefs make a push for the post-season, he should only get more mainstream attention.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
After Marcus Mariota went down with a sprained MCL, this conversation got a little easier. At this point, it’s a three horse race between Rams running back Todd Gurley, Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston and Raiders wide receiver Amari Cooper. Historically speaking, the award often goes to the best quarterback or running back, with only Minnesota’s Percy Harvin and New York’ s Odell Beckham Jr. winning the award as a receiver over the last ten years. Winston’s young career has been up and down so far, throwing five touchdowns and no interceptions one week and then no touchdowns and two interceptions the next. His career has had a fine start, and the Bucs have been competitive. That said, he’s also been far too inconsistent to beat the other two. Gurley has been a top ten back in the league this year, going over 1,000 yards in only 12 games on an offense where they haven’t had a legitimate passing threat. However, as teams have focused on stopping the run, his production has been stunted, only gaining 100 yards in a game only once in the last seven weeks. The award has to go to Cooper. Despite playing one of the most difficult positions to learn in the league, Cooper has already passed 1,000 yards receiving and looks like he could be one of the best receivers in the game. He has had some games where he’s disappeared or dropped crucial passes, but he also has more receiving yards than the likes of T.Y. Hilton, Calvin Johnson, and many other pro bowl caliber receivers.
Defensive Player of the Year
Barring an incredible performance by a defensive back, defensive player of the year typically goes to the league’s most prolific pass rusher, and this year is no exception. Either Khalil Mack or JJ Watt will finish the season with the most sacks in the league, and it may come down to that to determine which player gets the award. The fact that Carolina has so many players up for the award makes it hard to select any of them. Josh Norman has had a very good year, and Luke Kuechly is the best linebacker in the league. While Watt and Mack should both be All-Pros, only one can win the award. As the more established player, Watt will probably be the one adding another piece of hardware to his trophy case. Ultimately, Mack’s five sack game will probably count against him, giving Watt his third defensive player of the year award.
Offensive Player of the Year
The MVP is almost always given to the league’s best quarterback. Seven of the last ten MVPs have been quarterbacks, and they’ve been the same three guys. Either Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, or Aaron Rodgers have won the MVP every year except for 2005, 2006, and 2012. As such, the offensive player of the year is usually given as a consolation prize to the other positions. Since there are so many positions to pick from, the player that wins this award really needs to stand out. Without a doubt, one of the most dominant players this year has been Pittsburgh’s Antonio Brown. With his 116 catches, 1,586 yards, and nine touchdowns, he terrified defenses and kept Pittsburgh’s playoff hopes alive, even when Ben Roethlisberger was injured. If Ben hadn’t been hurt, Brown’s numbers would’ve been even better, and he might be in the MVP conversation. Julio Jones and Odell Beckham Jr. could also make their case for the award, but since neither team will be playing in the post-season, they likely won’t be considered.
Most Valuable Player
The biggest award being given out in early February ahead of the Super Bowl will be the league MVP. While the definition of MVP has become a controversial subject, most people accept that three quarterbacks are in the conversation. The aforementioned Carson Palmer is likely the odd man out. Despite having great stats and being on a good team, the other two men up for the award are better at each. Tom Brady’s 4,405 yards and 35 touchdowns despite being on an injury-depleted team put him in the conversation. But frankly, the Sportswriters of America made up their minds long ago. Despite not having the best stats, being the dynamic catalyst of an undefeated team will likely mean that Cam Newton is your MVP this season.
Main Photo:
