If the season ended after Week 1, Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson would be the NFL’s Most Valuable Player. But every team still has 15 games to go.
And the reality is Jackson probably isn’t going to be the MVP when all is said and done. He might be in for a fine season, but it’s a safe bet he’s not going to throw five touchdown passes (like he did in the opener) every week. That’s mainly because he won’t be playing the Miami Dolphins.
So, let’s use Jackson as an example to unveil a new weekly post on awards. It’s called Awards Watch and it will highlight the top candidates for Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Offensive Rookie of the Year, Defensive Rookie of the Year and Coach of the Year. But keep in mind that we’re not crowning anyone after only one week. Week 1 certainly matters in the equation, but this post will be done through a lens that focuses on the whole season.
Most Valuable Player
Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
Prescott is in line to get a contract that will make him the highest-paid player in the league and he did his negotiating on the field in the opener. Prescott threw for 405 yards and four touchdowns in a 35-17 win against the New York Giants. Prescott already has been good, but it seems like this is the year in which he truly will reach elite status.
Tom Brady, QB, New England Patriots
Brady is in the conversation whenever you talk about MVP. He had one of his typical games in the opener, throwing for 341 yards and three touchdowns in a 33-3 win against Pittsburgh. Of course, he did all that without newly-signed wide receiver Antonio Brown. Nobody can predict what the next step in Brown’s life will be or if he ever really will play for the Patriots. But that doesn’t matter all that much to Brady because he simply is …well, Brady.
Patrick Mahomes, QB. Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes won this award last season and has to start off as a favorite to win it again. Mahomes did nothing to hurt his chances when he threw for 37 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-26 win against Jacksonville. He’s going to be without top receiver Tyreek Hill, who will be sidelined with a shoulder injury for a while. But Mahomes made chronic underachiever Sammy Watkins look like a stud in the opener.
Offensive Player of the Year
Drew Brees, QB, New Orleans Saints
Brees also is a candidate for Most Valuable Player, just like Dak Prescott, Tom Brady are candidates for this award. If two quarterbacks are the top MVP candidates, this award often serves as a nice consolation prize for the second-place finisher. Brees only built on his lore, leading the Saints to a last-minute victory against Houston.
Christian McCaffery, RB, Carolina Panthers
Although his team lost its opener to the Los Angeles Rams, McCaffery, once again, showed he’s one of the top all-around offensive threats in the league. McCaffery rushed for 128 yards and two touchdowns. He also caught 10 passes for 81 yards. But the Panthers need to win some games to help strengthen McCaffery’s chances at and award like this.
Mark Ingram, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Although Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson had flashier stats in the opener against Miami, Ingram is going to be Baltimore’s most consistent threat over the long haul. Ingram rushed for 107 yards and two touchdowns. He also averaged a ridiculous 7.6 yards per carry. Ingram was good while sharing duties with Alvin Kamara in New Orleans. He has a chance to be great as a true feature back in Baltimore.
Defensive Player of the Year
Cameron Wake, LB, Tennessee Titans
It appears as if the Titans are going to have a very good defense. They shut down what was supposed to be an explosive Cleveland offense in the opener. Wake was in the middle of it all, recording 2.5 sacks and a safety.
Anthony Harris, S, Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota is another team with a very good defense. That was made abundantly clear as the Vikings shut down Atlanta quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones in the opener. Harris led the Minnesota defense, coming up with two interceptions and a fumble recovery while also making five tackles.
Aaron Donald, DE, Los Angeles Rams
Although Donald had only one tackle and no sacks in the opening win against Carolina, he’s still the favorite to win this award. That’s mainly because he has won it the last two years. There’s no way he’ll be this quiet the rest of the season.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Josh Jacobs, RB, Oakland Raiders
People always think about the passing game when they think about Oakland coach Jon Gruden. But they tend to forget that Gruden has had his best years when he has a strong running game. Gruden has that no that Jacobs has arrived in Oakland. Jacobs carried 23 times for 85 yards and two touchdowns. Gruden will only get more innovative with Jacobs going forward.
T.J. Hockenson, TE, Detroit Lions
It is difficult for tight ends to win league-wide honors. But Hockenson could have a chance at Offensive Rookie of the Year if he plays anything like he did in the season-opening tie with Arizona. He had 131 receiving yards, the most ever by a tight end playing in his first game, and also caught a touchdown pass.
Kyler Murray, QB, Arizona Cardinals
Murray wasn’t very good for the first three quarters, but he rallied the Cardinals in the fourth quarter and that was good enough for Arizona to end up with a tie against Detroit. Murray finished with 308 passing yards, two touchdowns and one interception. There’s no question Murray has to play better going forward. But the Offensive Rookie of the Year award is Murray’s to lose. Because he’s a quarterback and the No. 1 overall pick, all eyes are on him. All he has to do is put up decent numbers.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Ed Oliver, DT, Buffalo Bills
Oliver’s stat line wasn’t impressive in the opening win against the New York Jets. He had two tackles and was credited with one quarterback hurry. But it’s difficult to tell a defensive tackle’s impact just from stats. Oliver’s teammates and coaches came away from the game raving about how disruptive the rookie was in the middle of the defensive line and how that helped the Bills put pressure on quarterback Sam Darnold.
Nick Bosa, EDGE, San Francisco 49ers
Bosa lived up to his hype in an opening win against Tampa Bay. He was a big part of the reason, the 49ers were able to pressure Jameis Winston into three interceptions. Bosa had one sack and three tackles and showed he also can defend against the run. The only worry is that Bosa will be matched up against better left tackles than Tampa Bay’s Donovan Smith going forward.
Darnell Savage, S, Green Bay Packers
The first-round pick stepped into Green Bay’s defense and made an immediate impact. His stats (three tackles and one pass defensed) weren’t overwhelming. But he did his job as the Packers held the Chicago Bears to three points. Savage is a big part of the reason Green Bay’s defense will be much better than last year.
Coach of the Year
Mike Zimmer, Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings were supposed to be good and they certainly were in the opener. The beat the Falcons while keeping quarterback Matt Ryan and receiver Julio Jones under control. The NFC North is a tough division, but the Vikings might be the best of the bunch.
Mike Vrabel, Tennessee Titans
Vrabel is sitting pretty after his team pounded all the preseason hype out of the Cleveland Browns. It’s also important to note that the other three AFC South teams all lost their openers and Jacksonville lost quarterback Nick Foles to a clavicle injury for an extended period of time. And let’s not forget the Colts lost quarterback Andrew Luck to retirement and the Texans lost running back Lamar Miller for the season.
Jon Gruden, Oakland Raiders
Again, this is not based exclusively on Week 1, but it carries some extra weight in this particular instance. Has any coach ever had a better Week 1 than Gruden? We’re not simply talking about Oakland’s victory against Denver. We’re talking about something far beyond the football field. After putting up with tons of distractions from Antonio Brown, Gruden finally had enough sense to cut the troubled wide receiver with only minimal financial impact to the Raiders. A huge headache is gone. Now, Brown is Bill Belichick’s problem in New England.
Pat Yasinskas has covered the NFL since 1993. He has worked for The Tampa Tribune, The Charlotte Observer and ESPN.com and writes for numerous national magazines and websites. He also has served as a voter for the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
