2020 NFL Awards

Before he coached his first game in Washington, Ron Rivera got diagnosed with cancer. Despite the dangers of the COVID pandemic, Rivera did not miss a beat going through chemo treatments as he looked to turn a 3-13 team in 2019 into contenders. Washington lost five of their first six games and had instability at quarterback, but with a hungry defense, the Washington Football Team won the NFC East at 7-9. For dealing with cancer and the ups and downs of a team with no reliable quarterback, Rivera did a masterful job.

Selected with the second pick in the NFL Draft, Chase Young was everything the Washington Football Team could have hoped for and more. He became a monster pass rusher that helped lift the team from 1-5 to an NFC East championship. Young had seven and a half sacks and 32 solo tackles while forcing three fumbles.

Up until the final game of the season, the Miami Dolphins had the best defense in the NFL. A big part of that was Miami’s ability to force turnovers. The Dolphins were the only team in the NFL to force a turnover in every game. A key part of that was Xavien Howard, as he led the league in interceptions with ten while knocking down league-high 20 passes. He is the first player with ten interceptions since Antonio Cromartie in 2007.

It was an eerie sense of deja vu in 2018 when Alex Smith suffered a severe compound fracture on the 33rd anniversary of Joe Theismann’s injury. Smith’s injury was worse as an infection, put his life at risk as doctors considered amputating his leg. After 17 surgeries, Alex Smith returned nearly two years later. His numbers were not earth-shattering, but the Washington Football Team went 5-1 in his starts, which is nearly a miracle.

Foisted into the starting job in Week 2, Justin Herbert was better than the Los Angeles Chargers could have hoped. The Chargers had several losses late in games that prevented them from contending for the playoffs. Herbert put up numbers that prove he is a star in the making, passing for 4,336 yards with 31 touchdowns.

You could make an argument that Derrick Henry should be the NFL’s MVP but won’t win as the MVP has become an exclusive award for quarterbacks. He led the league in every major rushing category, including carries (378), yards (2,027), touchdowns (17), forced missed tackles (75), and yards after contact (1,490). Henry is the eighth member of the 2,000-yard club and the first since 2012.

It is a mere conclusion that Aaron Rodgers will win his third MVP award, following 2011 and 2014. In some ways, his 2020 season was his best as he lifted the Green Bay Packers to the best record in the NFC. Rodgers led the NFL  in completion percentage (70.7 %), touchdowns (48), both of which were career highs. Aaron Rodgers also passed for 4,299 yards.