“Winners never quit, and quitters never win.” The quote was said famously by Vincent Thomas Lombardi. Lombardi led the Green Bay Packers to three straight championships in the 1960s and won five in seven years. Yes, the quote came from one of the greatest winners, and each year one team hoists the trophy in honor of the legend. In the words of Lombardi, I make prognostication and projection at the start of every season. While at times my predictions hit the nail on the head, some of my predictions turned out to be laughable after the season started. However, Like Lombardi, I am not a quitter, and I am here to make bold predictions for the 2023 NFL Awards Winners and Superbowl predictions.
1. Most Valuable Player- Patrick Mahomes should be the favorite every year for this award and probably deserves it because he is a generational talent at the quarterback position. Mahomes won the 2022 award and the second in the past five years. I expect a very slight dip in Patrick’s performance this year because of the pressure of being the defending champion. The other quarterbacks that won the award during that period were Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson. Rodgers was the back-to-back MVP before last season, and a reunion in New York could be the spark that makes him torch the league. However, I don’t see Rodgers winning the award because the AFC East and the entire conference will be a gauntlet compared to the confines of the NFC North. My prediction to win the award is Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens. Jackson is primed for a career year playing under new offensive coordinator Todd Monken and surrounded by the deepest pass-catching group to his disposal with the acquisition of Odell Beckham, Rashod Bateman, and Zay Flowers on the outside. The running backs are good duo in JK Dobbins and Gus Edwards along with the exceptional Mark Andrews at the Tight End Spot. Jackson is the best running quarterback in the league and had his team at 7-4 before his injury last season. If Jackson stays healthy, then he is likely to win 11-12 wins for the season and push the Bengals in the division.
2. Offensive and Defensive Player of the Year- My prediction for the winner of the OPOY is Christian McCaffery. McCaffery is poised to pick up where he left off by exploding in Kyle Shanahan’s offensive system. McCaffery racked up 1,210 all-purpose yards in just 11 games after traversing across the country from the Carolina Panthers to the San Francisco 49ers. McCaffery is surrounded by supreme talent on this squad, and he will look to leave his mark playing in Gold and Scarlett. I have Micah Parsons finally putting it all together in his third season and winning the DPOY. Micah has taken the league by storm with 13.5 sacks in his sophomore season to follow the 13.0 sacks in his rookie 2021 season. The acquisition of Stephon Gilmore to pair with Stefan Diggs in Dan Quinn’s defense will make the Cowboys among the Top 3 defenses in the league. Parsons will thrive in the system, and his prospects of winning will increase based on the award’s history. Since 2010, nine of the 12 winners have been able to sack the quarterback at a high rate.
3. Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year-my pick for the OROY is Bijan Robinson. The Atlanta Falcons running back is the No. 8 overall pick of the 2023 NFL draft, and he will be the centerpiece of Arthur Smith’s potent rushing attack. Last season, the Falcons ranked second in the NFL in run/pass ratio, and the drafting of Robinson indicates that the team philosophy will continue. Robinson is also a promising pass-catcher and will feature on every down as his pass-blocking improves. My DROY is Jalen Carter. The police are still conducting a search warrant in Lincoln Financial Field to find out how Jalen Carter fell to number 9 in the NFL draft. Carter will have immediate success in this league and in that defensive unit. The Eagles racked up 70 sacks last season, and he will be replacing Javon Hargrave, who had 11 sacks a year ago. I expect Carter to make quarterbacks see deer in the headlights.
4. Comeback Player and Coach of the Year-I have Dan Campbell winning the COY award. Campbell should win the award because the last time the Lions won the division was in 1993, and the name was not the NFC North but was called the NFC Central. The Lions missed the playoffs last season but finished with a 9-8 record. In the last game of the season, Campbell motivated his team to a character-building win ending the Green Bay Packers season in Lambeau Field. I think Campbell and the Lions will pick up where they left off and finally win the division for the first time in 30 years. I have Breece Hall winning the COPY award. Hall had 80 touches, 463 yards, and 5.8 yards per touch. However, his season was cut short due to a gruesome torn ACL injury. Hall is projected to be ready for week 1, and with Dalvin Cook signed, they will form a formidable duo in the New York Jets backfield.
5. Conference and Super Bowl Champions prediction- For the AFC Champion, I have the Cincinnati Bengals. Teams that lose in the conference championship from the previous year usually are the most motivated teams to get to the Superbowl. The Bengals will be more than motivated because they have been close to a title for two consecutive seasons. Joe Burrow is fearless in big games, will be better protected, and the key is that they need to ensure they get home-field advantage to host the conference game. The Bengals are 3-1 against the Chiefs in the past two seasons and dominated the Bills on the road last year. On the NFC side, my surprise pick to win the NFC are the Dallas Cowboys. Dak Prescott is under pressure to deliver in the playoffs, and I think he will finally get his team over the hump by limiting the turnovers and allowing his defense to dominate. However, I have the Bengals winning the Superbowl over the Cowboys because Burrow and Chase will not be denied Lombardi for the third consecutive season. Who Dey!