NFL Awards Watch: Rookie RB On The Rise And The Best Defender No One Talks About
Welcome to NFL Awards Watch, my weekly column that will take a look at the five major awards handed out in the NFL: MVP; Offensive and Defensive Player Of The Year; and Offensive and Defensive Rookie Of The Year.
JONATHAN HUTTON NFL AWARDS WATCH ARCHIVE
The MVP race has a chance to be extremely close as great quarterback play continues between three main candidates, and there's a new player arriving in the Defensive Player of the Year category. Let’s get to it:
NFL Awards Watch: Week 8
Vikings linebacker Za'Darius Smith and Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III. (Getty Images)
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
QB JOSH ALLEN, Buffalo Bills
Allen is on pace to account for over 6,000 total yards this season, a mark no QB in NFL history has reached. Allen isn’t just on pace to set the new mark, he’s on his way to shattering Drew Brees’ 5,562 combined passing, rushing, and receiving yards in 2011.
Also: scoreboard.
Josh Allen 3
MVP QBs 0
Allen has outplayed Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers and Lamar Jackson in his individual matchups against the Chiefs, Packers and Ravens this season. Seven of his 21 touchdowns were scored in those games. The frontrunner to win MVP as the season began, Allen has led the Bills to an AFC-best 6-1 overall record with the second-best scoring offense in the NFL, averaging 29 points per game.
Two More To Consider:
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
WR TYREEK HILL, Miami Dolphins
No NFL wide receiver has ever eclipsed the 2,000-yard mark in a single season, but Hill has record-setting potential through eight games. His league-leading 961 receiving yards have him on pace for 2,042 yards, plus his current numbers are around 200 more total yards than Stefon Diggs and Justin Jefferson. But forget individual players. Hill surpasses entire individual receiving corps. Those 961 yards are more than the entire depth charts of the Falcons, Giants, Texans, Ravens, Bears and Titans.
Four More To Consider:
NFL TRADE DEADLINE WINNERS AND LOSERS: BREAKDOWN OF RECORD DAY
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
WR CHRIS OLAVE, New Orleans Saints
Olave averages 78 yards per game, 25 more yards than the next closest rookie in per game average. He’s now had six consecutive games with 50 or more receiving yards. In all, he hauled in 37 receptions for 547 yards and two touchdowns in seven games played this season.
Two More To Consider:
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR
OLB MICAH PARSONS, Dallas Cowboys
Parsons scored his first career touchdown last Sunday. His scoop and score as QB Justin Fields hurdled him instantly became one of the top highlights of the season. Overlooked was the other hurdle. Did you notice how Parsons avoided David Montgomery on his way to go get the loose football? Another example of his freakish athleticism.
Two More To Consider:
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR
CB SAUCE GARDNER, New York Jets
It says something when Robert Saleh openly dares NFL offenses to keep throwing at his rookie cornerback. He was targeted three times last week, allowing two catches for -4 yards. Even when the Jets lose, Gardner is great.
Two More To Consider:
Jonathan Hutton is the host of OutKick 360 and will write weekly about NFL awards. Follow Hutton on Twitter.