MVP: Chiefs Quarterback Patrick Mahomes
I am about to type a sentence that I don’t think has ever been typed. ESPN’s Harry Lyles Jr. made a great point. When I was watching Around The Horn last evening and they were discussing who should win MVP, he rebutted a point from Tim Cowlishaw who was arguing that Jalen Hurts should win MVP. Lyles said “Mahomes is the NFLs Michael Jordan. Just because someone else has a nice season, doesn’t mean they should win MVP.” That is a great point. Hurts had a nice season, but it wasn’t on the level of Mahomes in 2022-2023.
Mahomes had the most passing yards with 5,250. That’s 775 more yards than the next MVP finalist, Joe Burrow. He threw for the most touchdowns in the league this year with 41. That is six more than the next most in the NFL as Joe Burrow and Josh Allen had 35. The cherry on top of Mahomes’ stats this season was rushing for 358 yards on 61 attempts and four touchdowns. He feels like the clear-cut MVP in my eyes.
Offensive Player of the Year: Vikings Wide Receiver Justin Jefferson
Jefferson is one of the five MVP finalists and I don’t love his odds seeing that more kickers and linebackers have won an MVP than receivers. A receiver has never won an MVP. Justin Jefferson had an unreal season this season and matched up with good defensive backs. He caught 128 passes for 1,809 yards and eight touchdowns, and even tacked on a rushing touchdown. The LSU alum had ten games over 100 receiving yards and four games over 150 receiving yards. If you want to look below, you’ll also see that he made the best play of the 2022-2023 season. Maybe it’s my bias as a Vikings fan, but Jefferson was sick this year.
Defensive Player of the Year: 49ers Defensive End Nick Bosa
While I’m happy an interior guy in Chris Jones is a finalist, he has no shot to win DPOY. This is a two horse race between defensive end Nick Bosa and outside linebacker Micah Parsons. Even though Parsons has been electric this season, my vote goes to Bosa. Bosa tallied 18.5 total sacks this season which is three more than Chris Jones and five more than Parsons. If you do the math on Bosa’s sack numbers, he averaged 1.1 sacks per game. No other player averaged over one sack a game this season.
Outside of getting after the QB, Bosa was second in the whole league in tackles for loss with 19. To compare it to the two other finalists, that’s two more than Jones and six more than Parsons. In the total tackles column, Parsons had 65 and Bosa had 51. While there is a large discrepancy between the two, Parsons plays way more snaps off the ball in coverage while Bosa is only one the line rushing the passer and taking on double teams. My pick is Nick Bosa.
Coach of the Year: Jaguars Head Coach Doug Pederson
Doug Pederson took an inexperienced roster of young and talented players and made them a playoff team. That’s an incredible accomplishment. In the four years before Pederson took over, the Jags had a combine record of 15-50. Jacksonville went 9-8 this year and won a playoff game. It’s also more amazing that he came into an awful situation after Urban Meyer left a dumpster fire behind. He was unprepared and unprofessional with his players. Now, they look like a well-oiled machine beating Dallas, Baltimore, and Tennessee twice this year. Give this man his award.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Seahawks Running Back Kenneth Walker
Before I get into why I picked Kenneth Walker for OROY, I do need to acknowledge that it is a little crazy that they gave Brock Purdy the nod as a finalist. Yes, he’s done a great job stepping up with San Francisco, but I think Saints wideout Chris Olave or even Baltimore center Tyler Linderbaum were more deserving. Linemen don’t typically get nominated for this award, but it’s tough not acknowledging a guy who has had such a great year. That’s besides the point because my vote is for Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker.
Walker was a dynamic weapon on the Seahawks scrappy squad this season. He rushed for 1,050 yards, nine touchdowns, and caught 27 passes for 165 yards. In addition, he also didn’t fumble this season which is a huge plus. He has a bright future in the league and this was only the start for the Michigan State alum.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Lions Defensive End Aidan Hutchinson
I’d be completely fine if either Sauce Gardner or Hutchinson took home the award, but my vote goes to Hutchinson. The Michigan alum had a ridiculous season and added great energy to the Lions defense. In 17 games, Hutchinson tallied 52 tackles, 9.5 sacks, two fumble recoveries, three interceptions, and three pass breakups. Gardner was outstanding in coverage this season, but Hutchinson did have one more interception than him this season. It’s not clear-cut, but I think the edge goes towards Hutch.
Assistant Coach of the Year: 49ers Defensive Coordinator DeMeco Ryans
DeMeco Ryans is up for multiple head coaching vacancies this offseason, but he’s currently coaching one of the top defenses in the NFL. He coached three NFL First Team All-Pros this season in defensive end Nick Bosa, linebacker Fred Warner, and safety Talanoa Hufanga. His defense picked off the most passes in the NFL with 20, forced 16 fumbles, recovered 10 of them, and sacked the quarterback 44 times. Another great feather in Ryans cap is that San Francisco allowed the least amount of points this season.
Comeback Player of the Year: Giants Running Back Saquon Barkley
While McCaffrey and Geno Smith would be great pick for CPOTY, I have to give my vote to Barkley. Barkley was fourth in the NFL in rushing yards with 1,312 and had 10 rushing touchdowns. To go with his great numbers on the rug, he caught 57 passes for 338 yards. In 2021, he was in and out of the Giants lineup as he battled an ankle injury and Covid-19. Barkley was a focal point in the Giants offense this season and is a major reason that they made the second round of the playoffs.
