The season is over and on February 9, days before the Super Bowl, the individual honors will be revealed by the NFL. Many players and coaches have distinguished themselves and The newspaper it’s about his personal choices.
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Most Valuable Player
PATRICK MAHOMES
Quarterback (Chiefs)
Patrick Mahomes should win the ultimate individual honor by a pretty good margin. He comfortably led his peers statistically in yards (5,250) and touchdown passes (41) and was second in yards gained per pass attempt (8.1). Go for the numbers, but on top of that, he had to deal with a whole new group of receivers. Five of the team’s top 10 receivers by catches weren’t with the Chiefs last season. It’s a huge readjustment and it’s a credit to Mahomes for working hard with his new targets this offseason.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Josh Allen (quarterback, Bills) : Allen remains the man-orchestra of the Bills offense, with 35 touchdown passes in addition to 762 rushing yards and 7 other touchdowns. This honor will eventually return to him.
- Joe Burrow (quarterback, Bengals) : The Bengals pivot ignored a very tough schedule (7 games involving winning clubs) and threw 35 touchdown passes.
- Jalen Hurts (quarterback, Eagles) : Jalen Hurts seemed virtually neck and neck in the race with Mahomes, but his injury hurt. Only one downside, despite all his contribution, he only has 22 touchdown passes.
offensive player
JUSTIN JEFFERSON
Recipient (vikings)
The fight promises to be tight between Jefferson and Tyreek Hill, unless of course those who vote prefer a quarterback. Jefferson narrowly leads Hill in receptions (128 vs. 119), yards (1,809 vs. 1,710), touchdowns (8 vs. 7) and big plays 20+ yards (28 vs. 25). Hill is as deserving as Jefferson because he literally transformed the stagnant Dolphins offense. On Jefferson’s defense, however, he gets all the attention as Adam Thielen has slowed down, while Hill benefits from the presence of Jaylen Waddle.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Tyreek Hill (receiver, Dolphins) : If he is named offensive player par excellence, there will be nothing to complain about. The arguments for Hill are also good.
- Josh Jacobs (porter, Raiders) : Jacobs was the champion rusher with 1,653 rushing yards. He also shone through the air with 53 receptions for 400 yards.
- Travis Kelce (tight end, Chiefs) : He is the rock of the Chiefs’ offense with 110 catches, 1,338 yards and 12 touchdowns. He’s so consistent that it’s easy to forget how good he is.
defensive player
NICK BOSA
defensive end (49ers)
The race has long been tight between Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons, but in our eyes Bosa must be crowned. Many will point to his 18.5 quarterback sacks, a league high even though he missed a game. There’s more, since he also led his peers with 90 pressures on opposing quarterbacks. He reached opposing quarterbacks 48 times, 15 times more than anyone. Bosa is the dominant force in the league’s best defense. According to Pro Football Focus, he beat his blocker on 24.8% of plays.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Micah Parsons (linebacker, Cowboys) : Demonic at the start of the campaign, Parsons slowed somewhat thereafter with 1.5 sacks in his last six games. He remains an exceptional player.
- Myles Garrett (defensive end, Browns) : Garrett ends the campaign with 16 sacks, although he is lightly pressed on the Browns front. We can’t wait to see him in a real tandem of quarter hunters.
- Chris Jones (tackle, Chiefs) : Jones is still the heart of the Chiefs’ defense and finished his season with 13.5 sacks in his last 12 games. It promises in series!
Return of the year
GENO SMITH
Quarterback (Seahawks)
It’s a rather heartbreaking choice in this category since Saquon Barkley has been instrumental in the Giants’ success. Some will say that Geno Smith didn’t come back from an injury, but he did even better, he came back from the dead! The Seahawks quarterback was in theory supposed to fill a hole temporarily, and he’s defied expectations to the point where he should be coveted in the free agent market. Smith completed 69.8% of his passes, a high among starting quarterbacks. His 30 touchdown passes are a staggering tally for a player who hadn’t been a starter for most of a season since 2014.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Saquon Barkley (carrier, Giants) : Barkley was fourth in rushing yards with 1,312, after being held back by injuries his past two seasons.
- Christian McCaffrey (carrier, 49ers) : After two injury-blighted seasons, McCaffrey rebounded with 1,880 total yards (rushing and receiving) and 13 touchdowns.
- Travis Etienne (carrier, Jaguars) : Etienne had been forgotten after his rookie season lost due to a foot injury. He took control of the backfield with 1,125 rushing yards.
Offensive rookie
GARRET WILSON
Recipient (Jets)
Another tough debate to be expected! Carrier Kenneth Walker III would be a completely logical choice statistically. Here, the choice falls on Wilson because he excelled with 83 receptions for 1,103 yards and four touchdowns, despite the fact that all season the quarterbacks have been more than lacking in the Jets. To present such statistics in his first year despite the Zach Wilson, Mike White and Joe Flacco of this world, Wilson must have a rather extraordinary talent. That said, Walker has a strong chance of being the chosen one and would be a great choice as well.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Kenneth Walker III (carrier, Seahawks) : When a carrier gains 1,050 rushing yards and 165 passing yards in just nine games, he deserves the accolades.
- Chris Olave (receiver, Saints) : Former teammate of Garrett Wilson at Ohio State, Chris Olave also shone for the Saints with 1,042 yards on 72 receptions.
- Dameon Pierce (porter, Texans) : Despite missing three games, Pierce finished with 939 rushing yards and broke up tons of tackles. His possessed style has something to please.
Defensive rookie
GARDNER SAUCE
cornerback (Jets)
A double is possible with the Jets in terms of rookies. If it’s a roll of the dice on the offensive level, we can say with almost certainty that Sauce Gardner will be the chosen one on the defensive level. The cornerback has become one of the league’s best, not just among rookies. No cornerback has done better than his 14 knockdowns. The receivers he covered were targeted 73 times and he only allowed 33 passes. Only one touchdown was scored against him. The Jets went from 30e rank against the pass last year at third this season. It’s spectacular as a leap.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Aidan Hutchinson (defensive end, Lions) : With 9.5 sacks and three interceptions, Hutchinson more than met expectations. The tandem with the other rookie James Houston imposes.
- Tariq Woolen (cornerback, Seahawks) : Woolen finished the season with six interceptions and three fumble recoveries. A big game machine!
- Jalen Pitre (Marauder, Texans) : With 147 tackles and five interceptions, Jalen Pitre promises to be one of the great foundations of the future of the Texans.
Coach of the year
BRIAN DABOLL
(Giants)
This is the category where it hurts the most to choose. There are so many good candidates this year! Even Nick Sirianni (Eagles), Mike Tomlin (Steelers), Pete Carroll (Seahawks) or Kevin O’Connell (Vikings) could appear, in the worst case, among the honorable mentions. Daboll has come to a losing club since 2017, under enormous pressure from the New York market. Players like Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley have finally experienced their true growth under his watch. In a strong division that sends three clubs to the playoffs, the Giants have fought hard.
HONORABLE MENTIONS:
- Doug Pederson (Jaguars) : After the Urban Meyer debacle last year, Doug Pederson has a lot of merit. The attack went from 32e at 10e rank in points scored.
- Kyle Shanahan (49ers) : Shanahan had to deal with three different quarterbacks and his team navigated the storm with no problem. He must be doing something right.
- Sean McDermott (Bills) : Why McDermott more than another? Because the Bills sailed through an inappropriate game, major injuries and the Damar Hamlin incident without ever flinching. A true leader!
The beautiful surprises
- JAGUARS | The Jaguars have gone from three to nine wins in one year. Whoever saw them as division champions, stand up and speak! It is the echo of nothingness that we hear in the room.
- GIANTS | It was an evaluation year for the Giants at several positions and the results were convincing. They’re not the strongest team out there in the playoffs, but they’re there nonetheless.
- SEAHAWKS | Before the season, the Seahawks were among the favorites for the first overall pick because they were not considered. The reconstruction was extremely fast.
- LIONS | When the Lions posted a record of one win and six losses, everything indicated that they were the same good old Lions. However, they finished with a positive record and they are spectacular offensively.
- STEELERS | Hats off to the Steelers for their undying resilience. Nobody gave much of their skin at 2-6 and they fought until the end for a place in the series. This is only a postponement.
The big disappointments
- RAMS | Never had a team before the Rams finished with such a poor record (5-12) the year following a Super Bowl conquest. Many saw them rehearsing and wounds sank them.
- BRONCOS | For several years, the popular belief was that the Broncos were only one quarterback away from competing with the best. The arrival of Russell Wilson was a monumental flop.
- PACKERS | Despite his small nasties at the expense of the Lions, Aaron Rodgers did not have the upper hand against them. The Packers came back late in the season, but too little too late.
- TITANS | Derrick Henry’s return to health raised the brightest hopes, but the season was a complete disappointment with a long losing streak and a fired general manager.
- COLTS | Some saw the Colts as division champions, others saw them at least competing for the title. They were never in the game and were the worst team in the last stage.