Lions’ Dan Campbell is Coach of the Year favorite
The third pole. It doesn’t quite have the same ring as the quarter pole, but that’s where we’re at six weeks into the NFL season. A third of the regular season is in the books, and that means it’s time to check in on the races for the league’s most popular postseason awards, which a couple Detroit Lions have a shot at winning this year.
MVP: Tua Tagovailoa
The Miami Dolphins have the best offense in the NFL right now and it isn’t close. They’re a track team that plays football, and they have a quarterback in Tagovailoa who is amazingly accurate (71.1%) and great at distributing the ball. Tagovailoa leads the NFL in passing yards (1,876), touchdowns (14) and rating (114.1), and the Dolphins are one of five 5-1 teams in the league. Tagovailoa may not be the best quarterback in the NFL, but his injury last season, and more specifically how Miami struggled in his absence, certainly sheds light on how important he is to the Dolphins’ success.
Lions quarterback Jared Goff would be in my top five MVP candidates right now for his role in making the Lions one of the best teams
in the NFC. Over his last 17 games, Goff has thrown for 4,473 yards and 29 touchdowns with four interceptions. I’d put Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen and San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey in the top five, too.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: C.J. Stroud
There isn’t a close second for this award right now, though Los Angeles Rams rookie receiver Puka Nacua and Dolphins running back De’Von Achane, before his injury, at least merited discussion. Nacua had a record-breaking start and Achane is a key cog in Miami’s offensive machine, but it’s incredibly difficult to play quarterback in the NFL and Stroud is excelling as a rookie while lifting the Texans to respectability. In six games, Stroud has nine touchdown passes against one interception and the Texans are 3-3. He can be better. He’s completing just less than 60% of his passes right now. But Houston has a soft schedule after the bye and should be in playoff contention this winter. That’s enough for Stroud to run away with the award if he stays healthy.
Lions tight end Sam LaPorta is a long-shot candidate given the position he plays, but he has had a nice start to his NFL career, too.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Jalen Carter
The most polarizing player in this year’s draft has been one of the most impactful rookies in the NFL. Carter has 31⁄2 sacks and two forced fumbles in five games, and some teams have to wonder if they made the right decision passing on him because of character concerns. Carter missed the Eagles’ loss to the New York
Jets with an ankle injury last week, but if that injury isn’t serious it shouldn’t affect his candidacy for the award.
Lions defensive back Brian Branch is among a handful of players with a chance to overtake Carter in the coming weeks, given the way he played before his ankle injury. Seattle Seahawks cornerback Devon Witherspoon, who had two sacks and a pick-six against the New York Giants, also is in the mix, and one pass rusher or another — Will Anderson? Calijah Kancey? Byron Young? — could emerge as a legitimate candidate.
Coach of the Year: Dan Campbell
The Lions are rolling right now, and Campbell has pushed all the right buttons in their 5-1 start. He’s well-liked around the league, he has hit on his most prominent in-game coaching decisions (such as the fake punt against the Kansas City Chiefs) and he has a team that plays hard and is very much built in his image. Wayne Fontes in 1991 and George Wilson in 1957 are the only other Lions coaches to win this award, but Campbell is the frontrunner after finishing seventh and garnering one first-place vote last year.
The Dolphins’ Mike McDaniel is a smidge behind Campbell in my eyes right now, with Houston’s Demeco Ryans, the 49ers’ Kyle Shanahan and the Chiefs’ Andy Reid also in my top five.