NFL

Predicting Every NFL Award Winner For 2014 Season

Predicting Every NFL Award Winner For 2014 Season

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Jake Roth-USA TODAY Sports

We may be in the thick of the playoffs, but the fourth Annual NFL Honors is coming up at the end of the month. The MVP race is as contentious as ever, but it’s not the only award that's up for grabs. If you want to know who will win that award, and the others, you have come to the right place.

Coach of the Year – Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick New England Patriots
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Coach of the Year – Bill Belichick

Bill Belichick New England Patriots
David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports

Let’s hop in the time machine and go back to the month of September. A pair of meager wins over the Minnesota Vikings and Oakland Raiders was sandwiched by double-digit losses to the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs; the Patriots were in turmoil. Or so it seemed to us outsiders. Belichick deserves recognition for sticking to the script and lifting the Patriots to the AFC’s top seed when everybody and their mother left his team for dead.

Offensive Player of the Year – Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Player of the Year – Antonio Brown

Antonio Brown Pittsburgh Steelers
Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports

You can't find a more dangerous offensive weapon in the NFL. Brown was the top receiver in a passing league, pulling in 129 receptions for 1,698 yards and 13 touchdowns while also ranking in the top tier of punt returners by averaging over 10 yards per return. In addition, Brown stood atop the league in an oft-overlooked category: first down receptions, of which he had 85.

Defensive Player of the Year – J.J. Watt

J.J. Watt Houston Texans
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Player of the Year – J.J. Watt

J.J. Watt Houston Texans
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Who else? Watt will narrowly miss out on MVP honors, but the Defensive Player of the Year award is a pretty good consolation prize. Stats don’t always tell the full story, but they do in the case of Watt’s 2014 season: 20.5 sacks, four fumbles forced, five fumbles recovered, five total touchdowns, and 29 tackles for losses (most in the NFL). Simply put, Watt is the most disruptive player in the NFL.

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Rookie of the Year – Odell Beckham Jr.

Odell Beckham Jr. New York Giants
Robert Deutsch-USA TODAY Sports

Despite missing the first four games of the season, Beckham Jr. caught 91 passes for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns. Those are eye-popping numbers for anybody, let alone a rookie that missed an entire month and whose quarterback ranked middle-of-the-pack in quarterback rating. Perhaps the only shoo-in for any award, Beckham Jr. could be the best player to come out of the 2014 draft.

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald St. Louis Rams
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Rookie of the Year – Aaron Donald

Aaron Donald St. Louis Rams
Jeff Curry-USA TODAY Sports

Donald played in all 16 games of the Rams’ topsy-turvy season, and he was a bright spot week in and week out. He is a rare defensive tackle in that he is as lethal of a pass rusher as he is a run stopper. Of Donald’s 47 tackles, 18 were for losses, the fifth-best total of all defensive players, and nine were for sacks. So when Donald made a tackle this season, more often than not, it was bad news for opposing offenses.

Comeback Player of the Year – Jeremy Maclin

Jeremy Maclin Philadelphia Eagles
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

Comeback Player of the Year – Jeremy Maclin

Jeremy Maclin Philadelphia Eagles
Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports

One of the tragedies of the 2013 preseason, many doubted that Maclin could return from a torn ACL to assume the No. 1 receiver role in the Eagles’ offense after the departure of DeSean Jackson. But Maclin did just that, catching 85 balls for 1,318 yards and 10 scores -- all career highs. He actually outperformed Jackson over the course of the regular season.

Most Valuable Player - Tom Brady

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Most Valuable Player - Tom Brady

Tom Brady New England Patriots
Stew Milne-USA TODAY Sports

Sure, Aaron Rodgers and Tony Romo stand out more than Brady on the stat sheet. But the highest individual honor an NFL player can earn doesn’t hinge on numbers. Whether it’s rallying his team to the AFC’s top seed after a rough first month, restructuring his contract to allow the Patriots to maintain their top free agents, or playing with unparalleled determination and passion, Brady is hands-down the most valuable player in the NFL.

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