Tomorrow, the NFL will have their yearly award show to give out all of their trophies and accolades to those that are not in the Super Bowl. We’ll see a lot of the same names that we’ve seen for years with some fresh new faces sprinkled in. Our annual tradition is continued as we go through some of these awards in Uncle Mike’s 2020 NFL Honors.
To see my mid-season predictions, click here.
Comeback Player of the Year
I still feel like this is the clear pick. The Pro Football Writers of America voted Ryan Tannehill as the winner, but he’s not really coming back from anything this season. Jimmy Garoppolo suffered a torn ACL in 2018 and came back to lead his 49ers to the top record in the NFC. Now, he’s representing his conference in the Super Bowl. Need I say more?
Coach of the Year
At the time of my mid-season predictions, the 49ers were undefeated, so the award went to the 49ers’ head coach Kyle Shanahan. Shanahan did a fantastic job with his team, but there are some coaches who are just more deserving now. Today, I give this award to Mike Tomlin of the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was able to lead his team to an 8-8 record. While that number itself may not seem impressive, it certainly is when you consider Ben Roethlisberger missed 14 games, James Conner missed 6, and JuJu Smith-Schuster missed 4. Despite those significant absences, Tomlin had his team in playoff contention until Week 17. That’s deserving of some strong praise.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
The A.P. will likely give this award to Kyler Murray because he’s a quarterback. However, Josh Jacobs had a phenomenal rookie season that’s deserving of this high recognition. He finished the season with 1,150 yards (8th) and 7 touchdowns (t-12th). And, that was all done in only 13 games. If he had played a full season, and continued on his pace, Jacobs would’ve finished third in rushing yards in 2019 behind only Derrick Henry and Christian McCaffrey. The Raiders are set up for years in Vegas to pound the rock.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
It was a great year for rookie pass rushers. Both Josh Allen and Maxx Crosby finished with double-digit sacks. Still, the second overall pick, San Francisco’s Nick Bosa was the most impactful rookie on defense. He was third amongst rookies in sacks (9), first in tackles for a loss (16), and first in quarterback hits (25). After drafting defensive linemen for years, the 49ers finally have a base to make their defense great.
Offensive Player of the Year
Originally, I gave this award to Russell Wilson, but I believe Christian McCaffrey just finished one of the greatest years for any running back ever. With Cam Newton sidelined, McCaffrey kept the Panthers afloat. He totaled 1,387 yards and 15 touchdowns on the ground and added 116 receptions for 1,005 yards and 4 touchdowns through the air.
The 23-year-old becomes only the third running back to ever have 1,000 yards receiving and 1,000 yards rushing in a season. His 116 receptions broke the record for most receptions by a running back in a single season – a record that he set last year. These marks alone should get him this award.
Defensive Player of the Year
This award was up in the air after Stephon Gilmore had a tough Week 17 against the Miami Dolphins. He was burnt toast against DeVante Parker. However, this is a season-long award. And, in 2019, nobody was a better CB than Stephon Gilmore. Most weeks he took away his opposition and did it as a silent assassin. He was tied for the league-lead in interceptions (6) and led the NFL in passes defended (20). His play spoke for itself, and this should be the year that the DPOY returns to a cornerback.
MVP
Lamar Jackson led the Baltimore Ravens to the best record in the AFC. While the Ravens didn’t have postseason success, their QB changed football in 2019. He was called a running back, but he still put up over 3,100 yards and led the league in passing touchdowns. He also set the record for most rushing yards in a season by a quarterback, breaking Michael Vick’s 2006 record (1,039).
Jackson and the rest of the Ravens have work to do, but in 2019, they proved many doubters wrong.