With another year in the books, the NFL dishes out their yearly awards
The NFL held the NFL Honors award show last Saturday, celebrating accomplishments from the 2019 season.
MVP
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson went home with the 2019 Most Valuable Player award. He joined Tom Brady in becoming just the second-ever unanimously chosen MVP. This award was a no-brainer as Jackson led the Ravens to the best record in the league while throwing for 3,127 yards and scoring 43 total touchdowns. He also broke Michael Vick’s single-season for rushing yards for a quarterback with 1,206 yards. Jackson became the first Ravens player to ever win the award.
Offensive Player of the Year
New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas was able to edge out Lamar Jackson and Christian McCaffrey to win Offensive Player of the Year. Thomas had a sensational season as he broke Marvin Harrison’s single-season reception record with 149 receptions for a league and career-best 1,725 yards receiving. He posted career bests across the board with career highs in yards (107.8) and receptions (9.3) per game to go along with a third season of at least nine touchdowns.
Defensive Player of the Year
New England Patriots cornerback Stephon Gilmore won the Defensive Player of the Year award, beating out former Patriot Chandler Jones. Gilmore was tied for the league lead in interceptions with six, while also leading the league in passes defended with 20. When Gilmore did intercept the ball, he made it count as he was tied for second in interceptions returned for touchdowns with two and finished third in passer rating allowed at just 47.4. Gilmore became the first Patriots player to win Defensive Player of the Year.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray won the Offensive Rookie of the Year award to the surprise to some around the league as he beat out Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Murray was electric as a rookie as he joined Cam Newton as the only QB’s with 3,500 plus pass yards and 500 plus rush yards in their rookie seasons. He finished with a 64.4 percent completion percentage while scoring 24 total touchdowns.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
San Fransisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award to join his brother Joey, as they became the first set of brothers to win the award. Bosa was a force coming off the edge for the Niners as he posted nine sacks, 47 tackles, two passes defended and an interception. Bosa’s 80 total pressures during the regular season were 14 more than any other edge defender has ever accumulated as a rookie, per Pro Football Focus.
Comeback Player of the Year
Tennessee Titans quarterback Ryan Tannehill won the Comeback Player of the Year award, as he edged out Jimmy Garrapolo by just one vote. This award is always a tricky one because what defines “comeback?” Is it injury? Rebounding from a bad season the year before? Anyways, Tannehill was a key factor in propelling the Titans to the playoffs as they posted a 7-3 record after he replaced Marcus Mariota as the starting quarterback. Tannehill tallied an NFL-best 117.5 passer rating, a 70.3 percent completion percentage, an NFL-high 9.6 yards per attempt and 22 touchdowns. The Titans offense nearly doubled its scoring output after Tannehill took over, going from 16.3 points per game to 30.4 points per game.
Coach of the Year
Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh won the Coach of the Year award as he led the Ravens to a league-best 14-2 record. The Ravens ranked first in points (33.2), second in yards gained (407.6), third in points allowed (17.6) and fourth in yards allowed (300.6). The Ravens also won five games by at least 21 points. The real reason he takes home the award is the revolutionary run offense that Harbaugh put together headlined by offensive coordinator Greg Roman and superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson.