Most Valuable Predictions: Our pick for every major NFL award

The NFL season is well underway now, and it’s almost time to start thinking about who’s on track to earn recognition for their performances in the 2024 NFL season. Read on to see who we think is deserving of every major NFL award!

Lamar Jackson has already earned two MVP awards, and unless he falls off a cliff in the last couple of months of the season (we doubt this will happen), he’s going to win another. He is one of the best pocket-passers in football and rushes better than any other QB in the league. It’s Lamar Jackson’s world, and we’re all just living in it.

Joe Burrow is unlikely to get too much recognition if the Bengals continue to lose games, as the MVP award usually goes to a playoff team. Still, Burrow’s play has been exceptional this year, throwing for 24 TDs to just 2 interceptions at nearly 70% completion rate, per ESPN. If you think the Bengals are having a bad year with him, just imagine how bad it would be without Burrow!

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The Offensive Player of the Year award usually goes to the best no-quarterback in the NFL, and Derrick Henry has been just that this year. Henry’s 1120 rushing yards leads the NFL, although he has played one more game than the man we have in second place

Barkley is currently averaging 127.7 all-purpose yards per game, per Fox Sports, which is six yards ahead of Henry, making him a more than worthy choice for this award. The only thing holding him back from being the front-runner is Jalen Hurts taking any opportunities within the one-yard line, leading to a relative lack of touchdowns.

This is less a prediction and more us showing appreciation for just how good Dexter Lawrence is. He is currently second in the NFL with nine sacks, per ESPN, despite lining up as a nose tackle. The next closest player in the sacks rankings who is listed as a defensive tackle is Cameron Heyward, who is tied for 22nd. Lawrence is a unicorn and deserves his flowers.

Bucky Brooks recently suggested Fred Warner is worthy of discussion for this award, and there’s a fair case he should be, given his exceptional play again this season. However. Zack Baun is arguably having a better year, in his first as a full-time inside linebacker, with 87 tackles, two sacks, three forced fumbles, and a pick, he has transformed Philly’s defense.

It’s hard to look beyond Jayden Daniels for this award, as he has taken to the NFL like a duck to water. We liked Daniels as a prospect due to his obvious arm talent and incredible athleticism. What we didn’t would come this quickly is his incredible accuracy and decision-making, but he is proving us wrong time after time.

Brian Thomas Jr. has had a quiet two weeks so far in November, but up until that point, he had been, in our opinion, the best rookie wide receiver. His 607 yards have come at an explosive 16.4 YPC and his five TDs are only one behind Marvin Harrison Jr. The Jaguars have fallen apart this season, but there is a reason for optimism in Thomas.

The DROY award tends to favor defensive linemen, as they make the splash plays. Last year, Will Anderson Jr. won the award with seven sacks, this season Jared Verse is on course for 8.5, per ESPN. The Rams’ defense needed to fill the hole that Aaron Donald’s retirement left, and Verse has gone some way to doing that already.

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Quinyon Mitchell has excelled in Vic Fangio’s scheme so far this season, helping the Eagles defense transform into one of the best units in football after last season’s debacle. Mitchell won’t win any awards this season as he doesn’t have the flashy stats, but if you watch him week in and week out, his talent and ability are unquestionable.

Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in week eight of the 2023 season after starting the season playing some of the best football of his career. This season saw him take a few weeks to warm back up to NFL football, but since then he has been playing at his usual high level. His 2634 passing yards rank third in the NFL behind only Lamar Jackson and Joe Burrow.

Joe Burrow is probably a more realistic second-place prediction for this award, but we’ve already written about how good he is, so we’re going with Kyler instead. 2023 saw Murray return to the league’s halfway point after recovering from an ACL tear. He didn’t look like the usual Kyler on his return, but he’s been back to his electric best this season and is worthy of recognition.

There’s nothing unpredictable about the Coach of the Year award at this point, with NFL Network predicting Quinn and the odds being hugely in his favor, per Oddschecker. However, the job he has done in Washington is commendable given their run of bad season after bad season. Quinn has turned things around in just one offseason.

Things are never easy for KOC in Minnesota, with a series of quarterback injuries testing his coaching abilities every season. This year, it was their first-round rookie J.J. McCarthy who went down in training camp, making Sam Darnold QB1. The Vikings didn’t miss a beat, with Darnold playing the best football of his career under O’Connell, keeping Minnesota in the playoff hunt.

There is still a lot of football to play, so maybe we are a little early with our predictions, as so much could change between no and the end of week 18. But what do you think? Let us know in the comments!

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