2019 NFL awards watch

Last April, Bleacher Report’s Tyler Dunne  painted an unpretty picture of the relationship shared by Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers and former head coach Mike McCarthy. That piece understandably led some to believe Rodgers would not mesh with new coach Matt LaFleur. Rodgers has thrived under LaFleur to the point that the one-time Super Bowl champion is an MVP candidate. The Packers have won eight of their first 10 contests and sit atop the NFC North heading into their bye week. 

Imagine telling a Sept. 1, 2018 version of yourself that the 2019 Pittsburgh Steelers would be without Ben Roethlisberger, Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown. You likely would’ve expected the Steelers to crumble. Instead, Pittsburgh split five of the club’s first 10 contests and enjoyed a four-game winning streak before losing to the Cleveland Browns on Nov. 14. Mason Rudolph turning back into a pumpkin will likely cost Mike Tomlin a chance to win this award, but he deserves a shoutout for his team’s play after Big Ben went down.

Some predicted and even bet  that Cleveland Browns quarterback Baker Mayfield would win MVP, but it’s Baltimore Ravens signal-caller Lamar Jackson who’s at or near the top of player power rankings this fall. Under John Harbaugh, the Ravens have won eight of their first 10 games and cruised to the top of the division standings. Baltimore destroying the New England Patriots in front of a national television audience on Nov. 3 showed the Ravens are legitimate Super Bowl contenders. Harbaugh could win the award if the Ravens earn home-field advantage for the playoffs. 

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton did well to alter his offense to Teddy Bridgewater’s strengths after Drew Brees suffered an injury on Sept. 15. Teddy Ballgame guided the Saints to five consecutive victories before Brees’ return, and the future Hall of Famer is in a spot to lead the club to a division crown and, maybe, a playoff bye. The importance of having a solid backup QB cannot be overstated, but neither can Payton’s job in keeping his players’ heads above water without the team’s locker-room leader and offensive CEO on the field.

The San Francisco 49ers were a converted field goal away from starting the season 9-0. Kyle Shanahan’s defense terrorized opponents such as the Cleveland Browns, Los Angeles Rams,and Carolina Panthers, and some doubters, such as  Sean Wagner-McGough of CBS Sports,  think the 49ers could be even better if the team were able to immediately upgrade from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo. Those who believe the Niners are dragging Jimmy G as far as possible could be convinced to throw their votes Shanahan’s way if San Francisco remains atop the conference standings through the end of December. 

Surprise, surprise. The New England Patriots are again one of the best teams in the NFL. New England’s defense was better than advertised over the first half of the season, and rookie pass rusher Chase Winovich looks like one of the top steals of the 2019 NFL Draft. The third-round pick accumulated 4.5 sacks in his first 10 appearances, and he posted his first scoop-and-score in New England’s 35-14 win over the New York Giants. Winovich will probably need to have an even better second half to leapfrog other candidates.

Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage missed some action this fall because of a bad ankle, and that could cost him votes even if the Packers finish the regular season as the conference’s best team. The 21st pick of the 2019 NFL Draft is fifth on the Packers in tackles, and he has a forced fumble and an interception. Green Bay’s propensity to give up big plays in the passing game, not to mention others on the list, is preventing him from rising up the ranks of defensive rookies.

Josh Allen could lose some Defensive Rookie of the Year votes only because he’s merely meeting expectations. The Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end leads his team with eight  sacks  after 10 games. No Jacksonville player is responsible for more sack yards, and Allen is second behind only Calais Campbell in tackles for a loss among Jaguars players. If Allen gets particularly hot as the weather cools, and a certain QB returns under center, Jacksonville could be responsible for a pair of ROTY award winners. 

One could envision the wheels falling off the Pittsburgh Steelers wagon with Mason Rudolph at quarterback. Even if that happens, the contributions linebacker Devin Bush has made to what was an underrated defense at the start of the season cannot go unnoticed. The 21-year-old  tallied 74 total tackles in the first 10 games of his career, and he’s tracking to lead the Steelers in that stat. He also has a pair of interceptions, and he’s tied for second in the NFL in defensive scores (two). 

We’re gonna keep it real with you, chief. Nick Bosa is the Defensive Rookie of the Year. He’s so much the Defensive Rookie of the Year, he may also be the Defensive Player of the Year. Bosa tallied seven sacks in his first 10 games, and he’s tied for third in the NFL in tackles for loss (14). The 22-year-old introducing himself to Baker Mayfield on "Monday Night Football" may be the defensive highlight of the year. (Look away, Cleveland fans.) 

Midnight came calling for sixth-round selection Gardner Minshew  after Nov, 3, when he tossed a pair of interceptions in a blowout loss to the Houston Texans. Before that, the Jacksonville Jaguars signal-caller who filled in for Nick Foles had tossed 13 touchdowns and only two picks in eight appearances. Foles’ return to the lineup will limit Minshew’s playing opportunities and, ultimately, knock him out of the ROTY race. We’ll always have those sweet  memes and photoshops. 

New York Giants quarterback Daniel Jones put the ball on the ground 13 times in his first nine appearances. As unideal as that is, the 22-year-old is also flirting with testing the rookie touchdown record  set by Baker Mayfield a year ago. Jones is on 15 touchdown throws with six games remaining on the schedule, and the 2-8 Giants have no reason to go back to Eli Manning, even for a farewell start. If Danny Dimes averages 2.2 TDs a game, he’ll make history. 

DK Metcalf is tied for the league lead in touchdown receptions among rookies , and the 21-year-old Seattle Seahawks wide receiver could see even more targets from his MVP-caliber QB if a leg injury slows Tyler Lockett during the second half of the year. Metcalf may lose some passes if Russell Wilson builds chemistry with new teammate Josh Gordon, though, and that could remove the first-year pro from ROTY contention by Week 17. 

Fair or not, quarterbacks win awards more often than not (unless they’re drafted the same year as Saquon Barkley), and Arizona Cardinals QB Kyler Murray is unquestionably the best first-year player at his position. Arizona elected to replace Josh Rosen via the first pick of the 2019 NFL Draft, and  Murray  rewarded the Cardinals with 14 touchdown passes, over 2,700 passing yards, three rushing scores and over 400 rushing yards in his first 11 games. With Rosen unable to get into the Miami Dolphins lineup this fall, the Cardinals made the right decision. 

The best player doesn’t always win ROTY, a reality Oakland Raiders running back Josh Jacobs could learn in January. Jacobs is a major reason the Raiders punched above their weight over their first 10 games, as he averaged 4.8 yards per carry and totaled 923 rushing yards and seven scores across those contests. When all is said and done, the Raiders could finish 10-6, and the team’s record coupled with Jacobs’ impressive stats could carry (pun intended) him over the finish line in the ROTY race.

In late October, SB Nation’s James Brady, Frank Schwab of Yahoo Sports and Alex Didion of NBC Sports Bay Area all campaigned for Nick Bosa to win both Defensive Rookie of the Year and Defensive Player of the Year. As Didion explained, the last rookie to take this award home was Lawrence Taylor in 1981, and Bosa is mirroring LT’s production from that historic campaign. Bosa is practically guaranteed to finish the year with double-digit sacks. He already has an interception. If he played for an East Coast team located in New York or New England, he’d be more likely to earn a pair of awards. 

Brothers Joey and Nick Bosa won Defensive Player of the Week honors for Week 8, but only one man can win DPOTY. No disrespect meant to the rookie, but Joey has the better stats of the two. After 11 games, Bosa has 8.5 sacks, and he was tied for second in the NFL in tackles for loss  as of Nov. 19. The Los Angeles Chargers are in the bottom half of the division standings, though, and the team’s underwhelming performances could decrease Bosa’s odds of winning this award.

Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald is the league’s best defensive player. Don’t take our word for it. Voters named him DPOTY for each of the past two seasons. After 10 games, Donald led the NFL in tackles for loss, and the 28-year-old also had a pair of forced fumbles and eight sacks. In four contests between Oct. 13 and Nov. 10, Donald notched five sacks and six stuffs. His run of consecutive DPOTY wins should continue if he matches that production in December. 

With six games left on the schedule, the New England Patriots are responsible for the NFL’s best defense. Shouldn’t that unit’s top player, thus, win DPOTY? Cornerback Stephen Gilmore grabbed three interceptions over the first 10 contests of the campaign, and he leads the Patriots in passes defended with 11. Near the end of October, Jenny Vrentas of Sports Illustrated named Gilmore the league’s best cornerback. 

Pittsburgh Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick  is the ultimate “tale of two seasons” story. Fitzpatrick floundered unnoticed as a member of the terrible Miami Dolphins until Miami traded him to Pittsburgh in September. Since then, the 23-year-old nabbed five interceptions in eight contests, and his pick-six vs. the Indianapolis Colts was massive in his team’s 26-24 win. Fitzpatrick could be one score away from winning the first trophy of his pro career. 

Why doesn’t Cleveland Browns running back Nick Chubb receive more love in this category? Sure, the Browns are massive disappointments who can’t get out of their own way, but Chubb is one of the league’s best running backs who is third in the NFL in rushing yards  after 10 games. The duo of Chubb and Kareem Hunt in the Cleveland backfield could make for nightmare matchups over the last six games of the season. If Chubb continues to eat as the team’s top offensive weapon, he’ll win his first rushing title. 

Even with Cam Newton out of the lineup, Carolina Panthers running back  Christian McCaffrey has posted career numbers in multiple categories. Run CMC is first in the NFL in rushing yards, and he leads the league in total yards from scrimmage. McCaffrey’s 5.3 yards per carry is tops among lead starting running backs.

There’s no shame in winning a bronze medal, and that’s where Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson sits in the Offensive Player of the Year and MVP competitions on Nov. 19. Along with an impressive 18:6 touchdown-to-interception ratio before his dreadful showing against the Baltimore Ravens, Watson had five rushing scores in 10 games. The Texans winning only the division title probably wouldn’t be enough for Watson to finish above either of the next two players spotlighted here. 

Just last year, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes won both  Offensive Player of the Year and MVP. History could repeat itself after the 2019 campaign. Wilson’s  23 touchdowns to only two interceptions across 10 games tell only part of the story of his dominance. The best quarterback in the NFL helped Tyler Lockett become a household name among fantasy football players. Wilson averages over five yards per run each time he takes off. He’s on his way to finishing the campaign atop the  passing touchdowns category. One could argue Wilson is the best overall player in football this fall. 

If Russell Wilson is the league’s best player, Lamar Jackson should be deemed the NFL's most fun athlete. The Baltimore Ravens quarterback often compared to Micahel Vick is the position’s top duel threat, and the spin move he unleashed against the Cincinnati Bengals is a  highlight that will be replayed on NFL broadcasts for decades to come. Barring a change in the offensive scheme or an injury, Jackson is going to finish the season with 1,000 rushing yards and 30 total touchdowns. Not bad for a running back. 

Patrick Mahomes’ knee isn’t going to be 100 percent for the rest of the season, and that makes predicting where the reigning MVP will finish in voting for the 2019 award an impossible task as of Nov.19. Mahomes is tied for fourth in passing TDs with 19, which leads one to believe he’d be near or at the top of that category had he not missed two games because of injury. If Mahomes lights up the scoreboard at the New England Patriots on Dec. 8, he could reenter the MVP conversation beyond being an honorable mention. 

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers rose up player power rankings after he threw for 429 yards and five touchdowns vs. the Oakland Raiders, but he dropped back down those lists following a terrible showing against the Los Angeles Rams on Nov. 3. Rodgers’ numbers aren’t as good as those belonging to Russell Wilson and Lamar Jackson, so the top argument for the one-time Super Bowl champion winning a third MVP award is that he’s the lone superstar playmaker in the Green Bay offense. Imagine how special of a season Rodgers would be having if he could take Baker Mayfield’s place with the Cleveland Browns. 

The NFL differs from the other American sports competitions in that one game can cost a player a chance at winning MVP. On Nov. 17, the Baltimore Ravens held Deshaun Watson to 18 completions and zero touchdown throws, and the Ravens also picked Watson off once. Watson’s defenders and apologists may say this game highlighted Houston’s offensive line weaknesses, and they’d be correct. Unfortunately for Watson, that won’t mean much in voting for awards he likely won’t win this season. 

Every week, Lamar Jackson does something that makes fans take notice and just exclaim “wow.” In 10 games, the 22-year-old produced 25 total touchdowns for the Baltimore Ravens, and he seemed to grow in confidence during a pair of dominating November outings. Jackson’s critics don’t have a leg to stand on ahead of Thanksgiving regardless of whatever numbers they use to justify their takes. As of the posting of this piece, Jackson's passer rating for November was slightly over 135. We’re fairly confident any team would take that production. 

Among active players, only Aaron Rodgers has a higher career passer rating than Russell Wilson. Rodgers is widely respected as one of the greatest players of his generation and a first-ballot Hall of Famer, and deservedly so. It’s past time we view Wilson the same way. Lamar Jackson is playing like Russell Wilson. That, in itself, shows which of the two is the favorite to win MVP after Week 11. Ask yourself this: From what you’ve seen over the first 11 weeks of the season, who would you want to start under center for your team? You’re doing it wrong if you’re not saying Wilson.