The 13th annual NFL Honors occurred this past Thursday, February 8th at 9pm at Resorts World Theater in Las Vegas, Nevada. There were fifty people on the voting committee. Each person in the committee ranks their top three finalists to who they think deserves it the most and for MVP they rank the top five finalists in order. The committee does their voting before the NFL playoffs start because the awards are based on a player’s performance in the regular season. The Pharcyte is here to break down the seven main awards and their winners.
MVP (Most Valuable Player): Lamar Jackson, Quarterback (QB), Baltimore Ravens
The Most Valuable Player (MVP) is awarded to the best player throughout the regular season. There was no surprise to many NFL fans that Lamar Jackson won his second MVP this season. Jackson was almost the third unanimous MVP in NFL history and almost the first unanimous MVP to win multiple times by receiving 49 out of the 50 first-place votes. The only two people to have that accomplishment were Tom Brady back in 2010 and Lamar Jackson back in 2019. Lamar Jackson’s MVP resume this year consisted of leading the Baltimore Ravens to a 13-4 record and receiving the #1 seed in the AFC, 3,678 passing yards, a completion percentage of 67.2%, a touchdown touchdown-to-interception ratio of 24:7, an average passer rating of 102.7/158.3 per game, and 821 rushing yards with 5 rushing touchdowns. Lamar Jackson has proven he has been one of the MVP favorites since Week 1.
OPOY (Offensive Player of the Year): Christian McCaffrey, Running Back (RB), San Fransisco 49ers
The Offensive Player of the Year (OROY) is awarded to the best offensive player throughout the regular season. Many fans had a feeling that either Christian McCaffrey or Tyreek Hill would win this year’s award. McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards (1,459) this season, was fourth in the league in rushing touchdowns (14), and had the second most carries in the league with 272. Along with the 1,459 rushing yards and 14 rushing touchdowns, McCaffrey had 67 receptions for 564 receiving yards with 7 receiving touchdowns. McCaffrey had 2,023 all-purpose yards and 21 touchdowns, making him the clear front-runner for this year’s Offensive Player of the Year because Tyreek Hill did not break the NFL receiving yard record.
DPOY (Defensive Player of the Year): Myles Garrett, Defensive End (DE), Cleveland Browns
The Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) is awarded to the best defensive player throughout the regular season. This year many fans thought the award would either be awarded to Micah Parson, Myles Garrett, or TJ Watt. As many fans predicted, Myles Garrett won the award. Garrett finished the season with 42 tackles, 14 sacks, 5 forced fumbles, 1 fumble recovery, a pass rush win rate of 30% (2nd in the NFL), and a run block win rate of 31% (7th in the NFL). Myles Garrett is a very dominant defensive end that many teams try to avoid running on his side. Garrett has a bright future and I will not be surprised if he wins another DPOY in the next couple of years.
OROY (Offensive Rookie of the Year): CJ Stroud, Quarterback (QB), Houston Texans
The Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY) is awarded to the best offensive rookie this season. This year the award was basically down to two candidates, CJ Stround and Puka Nacua. Although Nacua did break the rookie record for most receiving yards in a touchdown it does not compare to CJ Stroud’s rookie season. CJ Stroud just had one of the best if not the best rookie season by any quarterback of all time. Around halfway through the season, Stroud was already considered a top 10 quarterback in the league and at the end of the season, some fans considered him a top 5 quarterback in the league. CJ Stroud’s Offensive Rookie of the Year resume consisted of an NFL record (most passing yards by a rookie quarterback thrown in a game; 470) leading the Houston Texans to a division title, and a 2-3 playoff record. Stroud also had the most passing yards (4,108), and most touchdowns thrown (23) by a rookie this season. Stroud also had a ton of more rookie records for the Texans and NFL. CJ Stroud has a bright future ahead of him and I will not be surprised if he wins an MVP, takes the Texans to the Super Bowl and possibly win, and win a Super Bowl MVP in the next couple of years.
DROY (Defensive Rookie of the Year): Will Anderson Jr, Defensive End (DE), Houston Texans
The Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY) is awarded to the best defensive rookie throughout the season. This year’s award was also one that could have been won by anyone despite many people thinking that it would either be Jalen Carter or Will Anderson Jr who both had exceptional rookie seasons on the defensive side. This year Will Anderson Jr took home the award. Anderson Jr was ranked third in the NFL in pass rush win rate of 24.8% only behind Myles Garrett (DPOY winner) and Micah Parson (3rd place for DPOY). Anderson Jr also finished the season with 7 sacks, 45 tackles, and 1 pass deflection which is pretty impressive for a rookie defensive end. The future is bright for Will Anderson Jr and I will not be surprised if he wins a DPOY in the next couple of years.
CPOY (Comeback Player of the Year): Joe Flacco, Quarterback (QB), Cleveland Browns
The Comeback Player of the Year (CPOY) award goes to the player who faced all odds of coming back from an injury or not even playing to having a breakout season. This year’s award was up for grabs because many thought that Damar Hamlin would win it after going into cardiac arrest last season but that was not the case. Joe Flacco was not even on an NFL roster the Cleveland Browns gave him a call and asked him if he could be their fifth starting quarterback of the season. Flacco faced all odds at the age of 39 and led the Browns to the #5 seed with an 11-6 record. Joe Flacco went from sitting on his couch in November to starting at quarterback for the Cleveland Browns just a couple of weeks later. Although Flacco’s career is coming to an end, he is most likely going to be a first-ballot hall of famer.
COTY (Coach of the Year): Kevin Stefanski, Head Coach (HC), Cleveland Browns
The Coach of the Year (COTY) goes to a head coach whose team did better than their preseason expectations. This year the award was basically down to DeMeco Ryans, Dan Campbell, and Kevin Stefanski. The Browns head coach, Kevin Stefanski took home the award. Although the Browns did not win their division they did receive the #5 seed with an 11-6 record. Stefanski had to go through five different starting quarterbacks just this season. The Browns also faced all odds after losing star running back Nick Chubb for the season in week 2. This award also marks Stefanski’s second time receiving the award. The future is bright for Stefanski and the Browns.
This year’s NFL season was one to remember, many players played well but unfortunately did not win an award. The NFL season concludes Sunday, February 11th in Las Vegas when the Kansas City Chiefs will play the San Francisco 49ers for Super Bowl LVIII. Continue reading to see the full results for all seven of the awards.
