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The NFL nationESPN
The NFL hosted the annual awards show hosted by Steve Harvey on Saturday in Tampa, Florida, the site of the Super Bowl LV. The Kansas City Chiefs will face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday (6:30 p.m. ET, CBS).
To everyone’s surprise, defender Aaron Rodgers won the third MVP award. He led the Packers to the NFC game before dropping Tom Brady and the Bucs.
Here’s a look at who took home all the awards and why:
MVP
Aaron Rodgers, QB, Green Bay Packers: Rodgers has shown the world that recent years – a 2017 full of injuries, a change of coach during the 2018 season and a transition to a new coach in 2019 – have not been a sign of decline. He said in the last week of the season that “[It’s] the personal part of it, where I proved again the level at which I can play, a few years in which, although I felt I was playing well, the results did not always align with the way I felt playing. “A season with 48 touchdowns and five interceptions proved that. He became the third player in NFL history to lead the league in touchdowns while throwing the fewest interceptions (joining Tom Brady in 2010). and Johnny Unitas in 1958) set a career high with a total QBR of 84.4, the third highest score in a single season since the metric was first followed by ESPN 15 seasons ago. he did so without the added benefit of the weapons added last season, when the consensus was that the Packers needed another top line receiver to complete Davante Adams.Rodgers is the sixth player to win the award three times, joining Former Packers quarterback Brett Favre, among others, “Not many guys did that,” Rodgers said at the end of the season. [would be] quite special. ” – Rob Demovsky
Offensive player of the year
Derrick Henry, RB, Tennessee Titans: Henry turned into one of the NFL’s most dominant seasons with a back-running. The Titans won eight of the 10 games in which Henry rushed for at least 100 meters. The defenses focused on stopping Henry each week by stacking the square. Despite this, he became the eighth player in NFL history to rush for 2,000 yards or more. Henry’s 2,027 yards were the fifth-highest total of a season in NFL history. The 6-foot-3, 247-pound back finished first in rushing yards, carries (378) and rushing touchdowns (17). Only 13 other players have rushed the NFL in back-to-back seasons, and 11 of them are in the Pro Football Hall. Henry rushed for 200 yards or more and two heavy touchdowns in a game three times this season, making him the first player in league history to do so. His tough, tough arm on Buffalo Bills defensive end Josh Norman provided one of the league’s most memorable moments last season. – Turron Davenport
Defensive player of the year
Aaron Donald, DE, Los Angeles Rams: Donald joins the elite company as he becomes the third player in NFL history to win the Defensive Player of the Year for the third time. Former New York Giants defender Lawrence Taylor and Houston Texans defender JJ Watt are three-time winners. In the seventh season of the NFL, Donald continued to demand the attention of his opponents due to his ability to destroy a game plan on his own. In the NFL’s top defense, Donald had two multi-sack games, including four against the Washington football team. He finished the second season in the NFL with 13.5 sacks and created the first pass pressure in 98 games (second). He also had a win rate of 21% over double teams (the first of the inside lines). Donald was named the All-Pro team for the first time for the sixth time and was voted for a seventh Pro Bowl. Previously, he won the NFL Defensive Player of the Year in the back-to-back seasons in 2017 and 2018, when he had 11 and 20.5 sacks, respectively. – Lindsey Thiry
Offensive rookie of the year
Justin Herbert, QB, Los Angeles Chargers: To quote Miley Cyrus, Justin Herbert came in like a wrecked ball … but in a good way. Without Herbert’s heroism and 4,336 yards and 31 touchdowns, the season would have been a disaster. Herbert gave life to a talented team crushed under the weight of poor coaching decisions, poor clock management and his own history of failing to finish games (since 2006, the Chargers have lost 72 games by one score). Herbert made the Chargers exciting and fun to watch, and that’s all they and first-year head coach Brandon Staley want for the future. And against Bucs in October, Herbert threw a 72-foot flat-footed pass to Jalen Guyton. Not bad for a rookie who expected to support Tyrod Taylor all season. – Shelley Smith
Defensive rookie of the year
Chase Young, DE, Washington Football Team: When you are elected on the 2nd place in general, the expectations are high. The young people not only met them, but in some cases overtook them. Young defended the race, harassed the defender and became the leader. The first two points were what Washington anticipated. Young finished with 7.5 sacks and 10 approaches for a loss. He played with talented teammates, but Young was most often in a double team – and sometimes tripled – as the lines often slipped from protection. He improved as a passenger as the season progressed. In his last five games, Young has recorded three sacks, two forced kicks and three rebounds, including one for a touchdown and six of his quarterback’s 12 hits. His savviness often hindered games. He also unexpectedly became a team leader simply by being himself. His teammates gravitated towards him and, because of the way he worked and played, listened to him. That’s why he was named captain at the end of the season. – John Keim
The player of the year returned
Alex Smith, QB, Washington football team: Doubts about Smith’s football future followed his recovery from a broken fibula and tibia, followed by 17 surgeries due to infections. Doctors almost amputated his right leg. After a documentary about his recovery on ESPN, a Washington team official said, “What doctor would ever wipe him out?” Smith later spoke of leaving the injured reserves for the season and eventually became a starter. Smith started six games, but was effective, as Washington went 5-1 with him and 2-8 with the others. His stats weren’t great: six touchdown passes, eight interceptions. But teammate after teammate praised his impact. “When you look down at the tightening and come in with your braces, you remember that. It gives you the perspective of a guy who is our leader,” said Chase Roullier. – John Keim
Coach of the Year
Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns: Stefanski faced unprecedented challenges for a head coach for the first time, including a virtual off-season, installing a new offense over Zoom and a shortened training camp. Despite these obstacles, Stefanski led the Browns to the playoffs for the first time since 2002. His calming influence, however, was felt most in the game, which he did not even coach. Stefanski had to stay home for Cleveland in the playoffs in Pittsburgh after contracting COVID-19. But without him, several assistants and key players who had to stay home with the virus, the Browns jumped over the Steelers on their way to Cleveland’s first playoff win in 26 years. Since returning to the league in 1999, the Browns have cycled through 11 head coaches. In Stefanski, they finally seem to have a goalkeeper. – Jake Trotter