In 10 days, the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers will square off at Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas to determine who will lift the Lombardi Trophy. However, the action on the gridiron will take a backseat to what will happen on stage during the 2024 NFL Awards ceremony to beld on Thursday, February 8, 2024. The parity in the league made the regular season unpredictable, and it will make projecting the winners of the NFL awards a tough job. In this article, we will make five predictions for the 13th Annual NFL Awards ceremony.
1. AP Most Valuable Player
It is not in the by-laws, but the MVP award is usually given to the best quarterback on the best team in the regular season. It would take a record-breaking season for a non-quarterback to be in the discussion, and the last player to achieve the feat was Adrian Peterson in 2012. However, in 2023, the top quarterbacks never separated themselves from the field for most of the season. However, the quarterback who was most consistent and dominated throughout the season was Lamar Jackson. Dak Prescott and Josh Allen led the league with 36 passing and 44 touchdowns, but Jackson and the Ravens were the most dominant team against every playoff contender they faced. In the final month, the Ravens dominated the 49ers on the road by 14 points and then demolished the Dolphins by 37 points at home which makes Jackson the consensus MVP. The Ravens finished the season with a 13-4 record while Jackson passed for 3,678 yards, ran for 821 yards and 29 total touchdowns.
2. AP Offensive Player of the Year
If the MVP award is designated for quarterbacks, then the Offensive Player of the Year award is usually for skilled position players. In the past seven years, only two quarterbacks have won the award. This season, two skilled position players set themselves apart from the field: Tyreek Hill and Christian McCaffery. Hill finished the season with 119 receptions, 1,799 yards, and 13 touchdowns. Those stats were either first or second in the league. Hill was dominant on a Dolphins team that struggled without his verticality and speed. It made defenses have to game plan for the threat. Hill consistently beat double coverage and made the Dolphin’s offense one of the best in the league. However, my pick for the award is McCaffery. The 49ers ended the regular season as the number one seed in the NFC, while the Dolphins slid from AFC East favorites to the sixth seed as a wild card. McCaffery was the focal point of the attack and a record-breaker. Christian tied Hall of Famer Lenny Moore’s record of 17 consecutive games with a touchdown The Standford product finished the 2023 regular season with a league-leading 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns.
3. AP Defensive Player of the Year
This is probably the most unpredictable category to predict this year. There are three viable candidates: Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, and T.J. Watt. Parsons had 14 sacks, and 64 tackles but had only one forced fumble. Micah played on a defense that was inconsistent in the regular season and recorded only 1.5 sacks in his last four games. Garrett tallied 14 sacks, 42 tackles, and 4 four forced fumbles on one of the most dominant defensive units in the league. However, my pick for the award is T.J. Watt. Watt was the best player on defense and probably on the entire team. Watt recorded 19 sacks, 68 tackles, four forced fumbles, and a pick-six interception. The Steelers struggled on offense for most of the season, but Watt’s play kept his team in the game and propelled their unlikely playoff run.
4. AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
The three top candidates for this award are Jahmyr Gibbs, Puka Nacua, and C.J. Stroud. Gibbs had a good rookie season for the Detroit Lions by tallying 182 carries, 945 yards, ten touchdowns, and forming a formidable duo with David Montgomery. Nacua proved to be the steal of last year’s draft after getting selected in the fifth-round pick and 177th overall. Nacua recorded 105 receptions, 1,486 receiving yards, and six touchdowns which propelled the Los Angeles Rams to a wild card berth. Nacua would probably win the award any other year, but C.J. Stroud is the player that will win it. Stroud exceeded expectations in his rookie season by turning around a team that won three games last year to a 10-7 team that won the AFC South. The Ohio State QB set the record for most passing yards in a single game by a rookie with 470 and became the youngest quarterback to win a playoff game in NFL history. Also, the Houston quarterback became the third player in NFL history after Joe Montana and Tom Brady to lead the league in both passing yards per game (273.5) and touchdown-to-interception ratio (23-5). The guy was historic.
5. AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
Will Anderson recorded seven sacks on a Texans team that shocked the world to win their division, while Devon Witherspoon had a nice season with the Seahawks. However, my prediction to win this award is Jalen Carter. The Eagles took a step back defensively, but Carter was one of the few bright spots to build on for the future. Carter’s six sacks on that defense were vital in bringing pressure on the opposing quarterback while others faltered around him.