The NFL will put on its 8th “NFL Honors” Awards Ceremony on Saturday night in Atlanta, the host town of Super Bowl LIII, recognizing exemplary efforts by players, coaches, and contributors during the 2018 league year. It will air the results in a pre-recorded ceremony on CBS starting at 9 p.m. The NFL began to hold the show in 2012 as an additional event to the weekend of Super Bowl festivities that also airs on the rotating network hosting the American football championship. “King of Comedy” and Miss Universe host Steve Harvey has been tabbed to host this year’s show, and he will be in charge of yet another interesting night of awards.
While many of the awards did not have pre-announced nominees, experts and fans can guess the nominees for some of the league’s most coveted titles, such as Most Valuable Player (MVP), Coach of the Year or Rookies of the Year. Most of the awards are decided and presented by the Associated Press, but there are some new trophies with new presenters. Also announced at the show will be the Pro Football Hall of Fame inductees, which will culminate a long process for many league legends, leaving five to eight inductees from 15 finalists. Here are my predictions for the outcomes of tonight’s decisions, some which will be nail biters and others that will be easy peasy.
Predicting NFL Honors Award Winners
AP NFL Most Valuable Player Award
Prediction: Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs Quarterback
I know there are calls that a defensive player finally gets considered for this award. But the fact of the matter is that in a year where offense dominated the league and showed very little limits, Aaron Donald is not going to receive enough votes to win this award over the magical season Mahomes put together. The Chiefs’ success is almost entirely due to Mahomes, as he took over for Alex Smith with only one NFL game for experience, and took that team to the AFC Championship to go toe-to-toe with Tom Brady. Mahomes was not only the most valuable Chief but the most valuable player to the league because let’s face it, this season would not have been as interesting if it weren’t for his 75-yard chucks, no look flips, left-handed throws, love for ketchup and voice comparisons to Kermit the Frog. Drew Brees was far too inconsistent throughout the season, but he will always be the MVP in our hearts.
AP Coach of the Year Award
Prediction: Andy Reid, Kansas City Chiefs Head Coach
The Coach of the Year Award is always weird because it seems many more-deserving candidates get passed up often. The AP usually chooses the safer option in a newer coach who shows their first glimpse of success, and winners rarely repeat. While Andy Reid is not a new coach and far from his first glimpse in succeeding in the league, the chance Reid took this spring sending his starting quarterback packing for an unproven sophomore paid off far better than people would have believed. Frank Reich, Matt Nagy, and Anthony Lynn are fair options, too, but Reid’s overall 2018 campaign will stand out for years to come due to his excellent decision-making.
AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year Award
Prediction: Patrick Mahomes
This award is really up in the air because the criteria are so vague and we have no way of knowing what the voters are looking at most. Many are saying that this award should go to Drew Brees, which isn’t a bad option, but if it’s going to be given to any quarterback (and it probably will,) it should go to the 50 touchdown, 5,000 yard-passing league-leading Quarterback in QBR, in charge of arguably the top offense of the year. If anything, the consistent excellence from candidates on his team alone (Travis Kelce, Tyreek Hill, and Kareem Hunt before his release) shows how well Mahomes ran this team.
AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award
Prediction: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams Defensive Tackle
In the beginning of the year, weeks after being traded from his Oakland Raiders to the Chicago Bears, Linebacker Khalil Mack seemed like a runaway for this award. However, Aaron Donald stormed through and reminded the Rams – and all of us – why he is just as worthy of a maximum contract as Mack; Leading the league in sacks from the interior lineman position is very, very rare. Double teaming Donald did little for offenses trying to limit his impact, and it didn’t help when his sidekicks Nose Tackle Ndamukong Suh and Outside Linebacker/Defensive End Dante Fowler Jr. got into a rhythm and helped out. If there was any doubt, Donald’s league-best 25 tackles for losses shuts that hole close.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year Award
Prediction: Saquon Barkley, New York Giants Running Back
Pepsi NFL Rookie of the Year Award – Already Announced as Saquon Barkley
This is probably the tightest race of the evening, and while Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield is a dangerous (get it?) competitor, Saquon will ultimately sprint away with this award. The Giants running back single-handedly kept his team in games and made spectacular, unbelievable athletic plays that very few humans can make. He showed unquestionable leadership in drama-filled moments and never gave up during plays or games where most maybe would have. Mayfield had a very similar impact, but his candidacy is hurt most by the fact that he didn’t play the entire season, sitting on the bench for three and a half games when he could’ve been starting, so if anything, the blame lays on Hue Jackson if he doesn’t get it. I have a feeling we’ll be hearing about the results of this award for years to come (“Remember when _______ was robbed of ROTY by _______?”)
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year Award
Prediction: Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts Linebacker
Despite getting snubbed by the Pro Bowl, there’s almost no chance Darius Leonard isn’t unanimously given this award. Rookies don’t normally lead their team, let alone the entire league in tackles. He also had four forced fumbles, sharing that number with proven stars Von Miller, Aaron Donald, and Marshon Lattimore. The defense wasn’t a shining point for many this year, but Leonard is a rising star that compares to very few on his side of the ball.
AP Comeback Player of the Year Award
Prediction: Andrew Luck, Indianapolis Colts Quarterback
I personally would like this award to go to Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson, as their teams made similar recoveries from miserable 2017 campaigns to successful, playoff-berth 2018 years with their franchise quarterbacks healthy and under center. However, Watson’s own candidacy is hurt by the miraculous comeback and success of his teammate, defensive end J.J. Watt. For a hot second during the year, this award could have easily gone to Washington Redskins running back Adrian Peterson, as he came off the street to have a 1,000-yard season. But Luck’s year was even better than his teammates or fans could have hoped for. He’s basically a shoo-in for this award.
Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year
Prediction: Andrew Whitworth, Los Angeles Rams Offensive Tackle
Many consider the Man of the Year award way more coveted and important to the league than its MVP, as it showcases the best of the players’ efforts to use their privileges to leave a better world outside of football. However, non-sport tragedies hit close to home for many NFL teams and players this year, as Southern California was pummeled by vicious wildfires in the middle of the NFL season. However, Andrew Whitworth among others was up for the challenge, donating his whole game check in Week 10 to relief efforts for many that were left in the wake of the disaster, including some that worked for the Rams themselves. Between Los Angeles and his former team in Cincinnati, the four-time Pro Bowler is often cited as the humblest and most supportive player in the league and receiving this award may further cement his legacy in the league.
Bridgestone Clutch Performance Play of the Year
Prediction: “The Miami Miracle”, Miami Dolphins vs. New England Patriots
This play is one of the most memorable from a crazy season, and led many to believe the end of the Patriots dynasty was near (Hint: I don’t think those beliefs came true.) What’s crazier than the fact that Ryan Tannehill led the Dolphins halfway down the field was that the team successfully pulled off a lateral against a Bill Belichick-coached team, leaving the large, mythical-like Rob Gronkowski tripping as Kenyan Drake took the ball into the end zone for a touchdown. It was literally synonymous with David vs. Goliath.
Read more (and watch) about the play here.
FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year
Prediction: Drew Brees (Air), New Orleans Saints Quarterback; Ezekiel Elliott (Ground), Dallas Cowboys Running Back
Drew Brees cemented his legacy this year with another stellar 30 touchdown, 4,000-yard campaign, leading the league in passer rating. In the running game, nobody received more carries and produced more rushing yards than Ezekiel Elliott, making him the literal description of a workhorse. He averaged 95.6 yards per game on the ground, six more than Todd Gurley, who came in at second.
Assistant Coach of the Year
Prediction: Kris Richard, Dallas Cowboys Defensive Backs Coach/Passing Game Coordinator
In a year which proved that offensive coaching is clearly more important to franchises and the key to successful futures, the success Kris Richard built in his first year as a assistant coach in Dallas can’t be overlooked. No other assistant coach made a bigger impact on their team as Richard did on the Cowboys unit, making him now responsible for helping create two separate, terrifying defenses between here and the ‘Legion of Boom’ in Seattle.
USAA Salute to Service Award
Prediction: Ben Garland, Atlanta Falcons Offensive Guard
Other Nominee: Former Detroit Lions Quarterback Eric Hipple
There are two finalists for this category, but we are easily a better world because of the work for veterans these two individuals have done and they should both get the award, if the NFL allows it. Garland, an Atlanta Falcons Man of the Year winner and active, full-time National Guard Captain, travels around the world to American military sites advocating for recognition of PTSD and promoting suicide prevention in addition to his two past USO tours, speaking engagements at the Air Force Academy, and his NFL duties. He is receiving an upcoming promotion to Major.
Former quarterback Eric Hipple began to speak up about the effects of depression on veterans and preventing suicide after his 15-year-old son Jeff’s own death. While he retired from the Lions as the now-sixth best passer in team history, he also served 11 years as an outreach consultant at the University of Michigan’s Comprehensive Depression Center, which he also retired from. He now serves the Eisenhower Center as an Outreach Specialist for their “After Effects” program for veterans and NFL players. His book “Real Men Do Cry” received a Presidential Award from its publisher and has led him to speak around the world.
Deacon Jones Award – Already Decided as Aaron Donald
This award goes to whoever led the NFL in sacks this year, and Donald was that player by a long run – in fact, he had the most for an interior defensive lineman ever recorded and came close to breaking Michael Strahan’s record 22.5 sacks (as a defensive end.)
Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award
Prediction: Antonio Gates, Los Angeles Chargers Tight End
Other Nominees: New Orleans Saints Quarterback Drew Brees, Jacksonville Jaguars Defensive End Calais Campbell, Washington Redskins Tight End Vernon Davis, Indianapolis Colts Quarterback Andrew Luck, San Francisco 49ers Offensive Tackle Joe Staley, Baltimore Ravens Safety Eric Weddle, Green Bay Packers Cornerback Tramon Williams
This will be the fifth year that the Art Rooney Sportsmanship Award will be given out, and the third time Gates has been nominated. In his second year as a finalist, I believe the veteran Chargers player finally gets some recognition; only fellow finalist Joe Staley has been nominated more (four) times. The committee in charge of selecting the winner of this award down to only three members (yes, only three) and two of them played during the same years as Gates and Drew Brees, giving these two the only clear advantage to take this award home.
Built Ford Tough Offensive Line of the Year
Prediction: Los Angeles Rams
According to former offensive lineman and NFL Network analyst Shaun O’Hara, “The Rams were the only team this season to have all five starters log at least 1,000 snaps, a major reason for great chemistry and why they are playing Sunday.” That’s the main distinction between them and the other excellent offensive lines across the league from 2018, namely the New England Patriots, Philadelphia Eagles and Indianapolis Colts. All were exceptional in their own right, but the Rams line just produced jaw-dropping results with the success of Running Backs Todd Gurley and C.J. Anderson, especially in the postseason, where they averaged the highest yards per attempt average with 4.8.
Touchdown Celebration of the Year
Prediction: “Bowling” – Tennessee Titans Offense
Other Nominees: Green Bay Packers’ Aaron Jones and Davante Adams – “Crank That”, Seattle Seahawks – “Choreography”, Kansas City Chiefs’ Tyreek Hill and Eric Fisher – “CPR”
While the Titans did not put out as great of a campaign this year as they wish, they did manage to have a few awesome offensive moments on the field when Quarterback Marcus Mariota were healthy or Running Back Derrick Henry got into his rhythm. One of their year’s best moments should snag them an award tonight: after an 11-yard touchdown reception by Wide Receiver Tajae Sharpe against the Philadelphia Eagles, the entire offense took to the end zone to line up as bowling pins, leaving Sharpe to knock them all down with the bowling ball – I mean, football.
Honestly, all of the celebrations are great, and I’m glad the NFL is finally embracing a vital part of the entertainment value for their sport, but it’s a shame that Michael Thomas’ Joe Horn tribute or Ezekiel Elliott’s Salvation Army donation were penalized in-game, led to fines afterwards, and weren’t even allowed consideration for this fan-voted award, but this is a first step toward the league becoming more open to the creativity of players. All of the final nominations were probably pre-planned, very well-executed, and over in less than 10 seconds. What I think will ultimately lead to the Titans getting the award, though, is that theirs managed to involve all of the scoring team’s players. If they really get picky with it, though, they could give it to the Seattle defense as theirs doesn’t involve the football as a ‘prop’ or happen in the vicinity of referees – let’s hope they don’t, though.
View all four of the Touchdown Celebration of the Year finalists and all 32 nominees here.
