2024 NFL Awards

My Awards for the 2024 Season:

MVP

It’s really tough to to pick the MVP after seeing most of the playoffs play out. There are three major candidates (Josh Allen, Lamar Jackson, and Saquon Barkley), and only one of them is playing in the Super Bowl. All three of these players have a legitimate case.

Lamar Jackson: The reigning MVP. Lamar Jackson had the best statistical season of his career, and that includes his two previous MVP campaigns. He has been lights out, and you can hardly blame him for the loss in the divisional round.

Josh Allen: It’s kind of surprising that Allen hasn’t won an MVP yet, considering that the narrative the last few years has been that he is the no. 2 QB trying to catch up to Mahomes. This has perhaps been his most impressive season so far. He has cut down on the INTs, and he has been able to do more with less with the loss of Stefon Diggs. He also beat Lamar Jackson head to head in the playoffs, which helps his case.

Saquon Barkley: Barkley had one of the best seasons we’ve seen out of a RB, and he probably would have beaten the single-season rushing record had he played in that 17th game. He has had so many amazing highlights over the season (the backwards hurdle being the highlight), and he is also going to the Super Bowl, something that neither of the other two candidates can say. The only thing holding him back is that he is a RB, and they almost never win.

Winner: All three of these players had career years, and all of them would have won last year with the stats they put up, but I’m gonna have to go with Josh Allen. He didn’t quite have the eye-popping stats of the other two, but he made the biggest impact to his team. If the Eagles didn’t have Barkley, they’d still be a good team with one of the best defenses in the NFL. The Ravens would be significantly worse without Jackson, but Derrick Henry can be a one man offense himself, and the Bills don’t have anyone like that. The Bills would be painfully average if they didn’t have their MVP quarterback.

The Other Awards

DPOY: Patrick Surtain

He’s the best defensive player in the NFL in my opinion. Nobody had a historical year, so it like the perfect time to give a CB some credit.

OPOY: Saquon Barkley

OPOY just seems like the Best non-QB Award and I’ve got to give this to Barkley after his historic season. Derrick Henry and Ja’Marr Chase would have won just about any other year, but Barkley was just that amazing.

Coach of the Year: Kevin O’Connell

He went 14-3 with Sam Darnold as his QB. No more explanation needed. Jim Harbaugh, Sean Payton, Andy Reid, and Dan Quinn all led their teams to great season as well, but O’Connel was on another level despite falling apart at the end.

OROY: Jayden Daniels

C’mon, the most obvious pick of the year. Bo Nix, Brian Thomas Jr, and Malik Nabers were all great too, but quite as good as Daniels.

DROY: Jared Verse

With no defensive players taken early on in last year’s draft, this year was pretty wide open. I think Verse was the best though, with his teammate Braden Fiske being the runner-up.

Most Improved: Sam Darnold

I don’t like the Comeback Player of the Year because of how vague it is, so I would prefer if the NFL took a page out the NBA’s book with this award. Darnold was trash for so long, and even thought he was overrated back in college, but this year was extremely impressive until the last two games. He was thrust into the starting role, and he thrived. Great story, and I hope he continues to be succeed after he leaves Minnesota.