2020 NFL Awards

Awarding the individuals who made the 2020 NFL regular season so special

By: Maxwell Argento

MVP: Aaron Rodgers

Many astute observers of Aaron Rodgers’ temperament may have predicted an above-average year from the quarterback in response to Jordan Love being drafted with the Packer’s pick in the first round of last year’s draft (which they traded up to make). Another above-average year has been had, to the tune of 4,299 yards through the air at a 70.7 completion percentage with 48 touchdowns and only five interceptions. Rodgers has made football look extremely easy this year, and physically has looked sharper than he did all of the previous season. Having Lambeau Field in his back pocket during the postseason may just give him a chance to get back to the Super Bowl, where scenarios of winning the other version of this award will very much be on the table.

Second Place: Patrick Mahomes

Mahomes is still the best player in the league, and if he leads the Chiefs to back-to-back Super Bowl victories no one will be talking about Rodgers’ regular season MVP award, trust me.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Justin Herbert

A 66.6% completion percentage for 4336 yards and 31 touchdowns is super impressive, and that’s without considering the fact that Anthony Lynn was running the show on the sideline for Justin Herbert’s Chargers. The former Oregon star’s physical gifts are evident, and it was clear to me early in the year that he could handle throwing the ball 45 times in an NFL game and give his team a really good chance of winning. Whoever is granted the head coaching job for the Chargers during the 2021 season is immediately being given a top-10 quarterback in the sport, and better treat him as such. If Los Angeles can surround him with talent and give him the key to the sports car, there is no saying how good the offense may look over the next couple of years. As a neutral, the thought of watching ‘Mahomes v Herbert’ for the heavyweight championship of the AFC West for the next 10 years is thrilling.

Second Place: Justin Jefferson

“The first Vikings rookie to accumulate 1,000 receiving yards since Randy Moss” is a sentence that should not be taken lightly, at all.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: Chase Young

It’s not hard to see that Chase Young is can’t-miss. Four forced-fumbles and 7.5 sacks are numbers that only stand to go up, especially considering he is already the main focus of offensive coordinators around the league when Washington comes into town. Beyond the measurables that are clearly there, it looks like Young has already found his voice in the locker room as a leader, which is hopefully something Rivera can count on for as long as both men are in Washington. When I get down to brass tax and analyze the NFC East there is a chance that he is the best football player in the entire division as a rookie, which speaks to his impact.

Second Place: Patrick Queen

John Harbaugh and the Ravens found another badass middle linebacker in the draft who is going to fly around the field and destroy the ball-carrier for years to come. Shocker.

Offensive Player of the Year: Derrick Henry

Of all the gladiators that we watch on Sundays (and Mondays and Thursdays and Saturdays?) Derrick Henry is the biggest and baddest of them all. 2,027 rushing yards and 17 touchdowns on 5.4 yards per attempt speaks for itself, and at the rate Henry is going, talks in a few years of him being an easy first-ballot HOF’er will be far less hyperbolic. As far as I am concerned, Henry and his representation should figure out how to re-structure that four year, $50 million dollar extension that he signed back in July, because without his presence the Titans finish the year below .500. Realistically, Henry could surpass 2,000 yards rushing again next year and people wouldn’t be all that shocked, which is bonkers.

Second Place: Josh Allen

Josh Allen is a bonified top-5 quarterback in the league, and if you disagree you’re a hater.

Defensive Player of the Year: Aaron Donald

This is the one award for the year where I don’t need anything more than the eye-test to know that Aaron Donald is the best defensive player in the sport (like he is every year). In a landscape where the biggest difference-makers on the defensive front in the league come from the edge, Donald being the best defender in the sport from an interior section of the line is immense, and gives the Rams a multitude of advantages schematically. No one in the league (T.J. Watt included) can claim to do more for their defense while being the offense’s number one priority than #99 for Los Angeles. All I can say is that it must feel surreal every week being the two offensive linemen that are assigned to Donald when teams play the Rams, because they will know that they basically don’t have a chance for three hours.

Second Place: Xavien Howard

Like Donald, Howard does more for his team than T.J. Watt (providing a league-leading 10 interceptions) while being under more pressure schematically because of how his team choose to use him. Without Howard the Dolphins don’t have the best scoring defense in the league; Without Watt the Steelers are still a top-5 defense in the league because of their collective talent.

Comeback Player of the Year: Alex Smith

Peter King said something to this effect earlier in the year when talking about Washington’s quarterback: “The moment Alex Smith took one snap in an NFL game was the moment he was crowned Comeback Player of the Year”, and considering the infamous injury complications he had, I completely agree. Tack on the fact that Smith led an undermanned Washington team to the playoffs in a year tossed upside-down by Covid-19, and Smith winning the award is cemented even further. He doesn’t have to play another snap in the NFL for everyone to understand that what he has accomplished is one of the most inspirational things we have seen in professional sports.

Second Place: Ben Roethlisberger

Coming back from an elbow injury (that forced us to watch Mason Rudolph) last year and leading his team to the top of an AFC North division that has three playoff representatives without a run game is really impressive.

Coach of the Year: Kevin Stefanski

Even though Freddie Kitchens showing us last year that he wasn’t the one resulted ostensibly in the bar being relatively low for Stefanski coming into this year, Browns fan will have looked at their roster and silently expected a playoff birth. The first year head coach from Minnesota quickly proved his chops as a play-caller, and has shown signs of being able to get the most out of Baker Mayfield despite becoming a run-dominant team. Stefanski’s biggest success with the Browns thus far has been his ability to give them an identity on both sides of the ball, which has helped them play consistently complimentary football. It is a shame that he won’t be able to be on the sideline this weekend against the Steelers due to contracting Covid-19, because with him in the stadium the Browns had a seriously good chance of making waves in Pittsburgh on Sunday.

Second Place: Matt LaFleur

It’s the 26–6 record as a head coach that no one talks about for me.

Moment of the Year: D.K. Metcalf’s Chase Down

Seahawks star wideout D.K. Metcalf running seven million miles an hour to catch Cardinals safety Budda Baker after he picked off Russell Wilson in the red zone is why I watch the NFL. As long as I continue to see feats of athleticism like that the NFL can keep taking my money.

Second Place: “Hail Murray”

The only thing that can improve the stars perfectly aligning on an NFL Sunday and us getting a successfully completed ‘Hail Mary’ pass is said pass being completed by two of the game’s most marketable players.