MVP
Drake Maye struggled through a blizzard as the New England Patriots dragged themselves past the Denver Broncos and into the Super Bowl. But he endured, holding on to execute in the critical moments, as he had done against the Houston Texans the week before.
New England’s victory over Denver came down to two plays. The arm was off the table in the wind and snow, so Maye’s athleticism came to the fore with a 28-yard scramble up the middle as he sensed the orange sea parting just enough for him to dart the Patriots into chip-shot territory and a 10-7 lead in the third quarter. Then Maye put the Broncos to the sword with a rogue audible. He again took off running, this time for a game-sealing first-down, outfoxing Denver by not telling his offensive line he was going to ignore his coach’s call for a stretch run and keep it. The vision to see the opportunity – and the confidence to then make it happen – was special.
Of course, the MVP is for regular season performance, and doesn’t include the playoffs. So the argument over whether Matthew Stafford’s league-leading total yards and touchdowns make him the better MVP candidate is legitimate, but only if you like one-yard throws to Davante Adams on the goalline. Maye has better numbers in many other areas, including completion percentage (72%), QBR (77.1) and yards per attempt (8.9). Those numbers speak to a 23-year-old with the maturity to vault his team from 4-13 last season to the Super Bowl this time around. If the Patriots prevail in Santa Clara, Maye will be at the heart of the matter, finding the path through the Seattle Seahawks’ smothering defense.
Offensive player(s) of the year
In the NFC championship game, the Seahawks’ Jaxon Smith-Njigba and the Los Angeles Rams’ Puka Nacua raised a question: what if the Alien v Predator films were good? If you lose sight of Smith-Njigba for a split second you’re already done for, such is his speed and ability to separate. Nacua is as versatile as they come, able to beat you 100 different ways, running through defenders at will. Fittingly their stat sheets were almost identical last Sunday: Smith-Njigba had 10 catches for 153 yards, while Nacua had nine for 165 yards (each player also grabbed a touchdown). Both are under 25, so hopefully we have many more years to see them push each other to even greater heights. Three cheers for the NFC West.
Defensive player of the year
Myles Garrett enjoyed arguably the greatest year from a defensive player in NFL history by delivering the most sacks ever in a regular season (23). This was no flash in the pan: Cleveland’s formidable defensive end is the only player to make at least 12 sacks in six successive seasons. It’s a shame that the Browns’ dysfunction means Garrett has never played for a Super Bowl contender – although, of course, he had a chance to force his way out.
Chris Wesseling person of the year award
It is easy to let significant moments in your life fade as the years roll by. Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton brought the memories flooding back for me. In November he was diagnosed with cancer; a few days later he played in his team’s win over the Las Vegas Raiders. I’m not comparing manning the Guardian’s sports desk to tackling a marauding running back, but when I faced the same diagnosis eight years ago I wanted to get straight back to work too. Singleton’s resilience was inspiring – he missed only one game for the Broncos after his surgery. The strength of mind and spirit lit a fire in me, as NFL.com writer Chris Wesseling had when he shared his battle with cancer on the Around the NFL podcast. So cheers, Alex, for a wonderful reminder of Chris’s huge heart. One he so readily shared with me during a drunken rampage through London to celebrate my recovery. I only wish Chris had been as lucky as the two of us.
Rookie of the year
Cam Skattebo, who else? The fun-loving running back brought a spark to the New York Giants amid a volatile season. There was even some hope of success at MetLife Stadium when the Giants thrashed the Philadelphia Eagles 34-17 and Skattebo’s nonstop energy almost single-handedly brought down the Super Bowl champions. The rematch would quickly deliver a bitterly cruel blow as Skattebo dislocated his right ankle and fractured his fibula, cutting short what had been the most joyous reminder that the NFL shouldn’t take itself quite so seriously.
Play of the year
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Jameis Winston takes the cake for the sheer cheek of a trick play touchdown reception from receiver Gunner Olszewski. Poor Derrick Barnes had some explaining to do in Detroit after he let the veteran quarterback make an easy grab before casually walking through a flimsy tackle for the score.
Coach of the year
The 11-6 Chicago Bears won the NFC North for the first time since 2018 and their first playoff game since the 2010 season thanks to the big coach energy of Ben Johnson. If, like me, you are slightly distracted by Johnson flexing like a maniac in this clip, then “good, better, best. Never let it rest. ‘Til your good is better and your better is best” is your new mantra. A shirt is optional.
Self-sabotage of the year
“Of all the players I have ever negotiated with, Michael Parson is as savvy and knowledgable and understanding of his financial business relative to football as any player I have ever been around,” said the Dallas Cowboys owner, Jerry Jones, after trading away defensive end Micah Parsons to the Packers. Jones’s subtext: I’m annoyed that playing for the Cowboys isn’t dazzling enough to let me bully one of the NFL’s biggest stars into signing a deal below his market value so I’m going to say his name wrong. Classy. Jones’s inept trade, powered by an incredible sulk, blew up Dallas’ already undermanned defense leaving them well short of the playoffs. Green Bay’s $188m star would have mixed it up in the postseason had he not sustained a torn ACL in December.
Sack of the year/gaff of the year
Aaron Rodgers has just thrown a 68-yard touchdown to put Pittsburgh ahead 31-30 in Cincinnati with two minutes left in their Week 7 matchup. The 41-year-old is jumping, fist pumping and bounding to celebrate with his fellow Steelers. Only his 311lb left tackle wants to join in. As they reach the sideline, Broderick Jones delivers a blindside hit, knocking his quarterback flat on his face. Slightly off script for a left tackle. Rodgers then rolls over, attempts a shove as he gets back to his feet while raging at Jones for getting to the quarterback. Rodgers lamented to Jones in a text, “I love your energy. But also I’m 41. You can’t be out there tackling me like that.” Jones wryly disagreed postgame: “If he throws another touchdown on Sunday I might tackle him again.”
