Wilson, Bosa making grade at halfway point
We have finally hit the midpoint of the season, which means it’s time for the ever important midseason awards. All of these awards are meant to replicate the NFL Honors ceremony that happens during the playoffs. None of these awards are jokes, even the one(s) you think are definitely a joke.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: Russell Wilson, QB, Seattle Seahawks
Wilson has been the driving force for the Seahawks this year and, once again, is having an impressive season statistically.
Wilson ranks third on ESPN’s Quarterback Rating (79.6), second in touchdown percentage (6.8%), has just one interception, and leads the league in passer rating (115.5). Seattle’s defense hasn’t been great, most recently allowing 38-year-old Matt Schaub to throw for 460 yards.
Wilson’s heroics have pushed the Seahawks to a 6-2 start, with a defense that ranks 21st in Pro Football Reference’s expected points statistic. He’s been making absurd plays all season, highlighted by a pinpoint touchdown pass to Tyler Lockett against the Rams that was caught in the corner of the end zone with less than a yard to spare.
OFFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Dalvin Cook, RB, Minnesota Vikings
Let’s show a running back some love.
Cook has been awesome through the first half of the season. He’s on pace for 1,646 rushing yards, 586 receiving yards, and 18 total touchdowns. He’s averaging 5.3 yards per carry and 10.1 yards per reception.
Cook has rushed for at least 100 yards in five of the eight games he’s played and has three games with more than 130 yards rushing.
DEFENSIVE PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Nick Bosa, DE, San Francisco 49ers
Bosa, a rookie, has seven sacks, a forced fumble, an interception, and leads the NFL in tackles for loss with 11. He’s also tied for fifth in the NFL with 13 quarterback hits. According to Pro Football Focus, Bosa has the ninth-highest grade among all edge defenders and ranks seventh in pass rush.
He’s the major reason the 49ers are leading the league in pressure rate (33.1%) by a good margin.
OFFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Gardner Minshew, QB, Jacksonville Jaguars
No one saw this coming. The sixth-round pick has been the best offensive rookie this year and it hasn’t really been close.
Even though there were three quarterbacks selected in the first round, none of them have been as productive on the field as Minshew. For the season, Minshew ranks 12th in adjusted yards per attempt (8.3), eighth in adjusted net yards per attempt (7.34), 15th in touchdown percentage (5%), and fourth in interception percentage (0.8%).
He’s played well enough to create a legitimate quarterback controversy in Jacksonville. At this point, no one would blame the Jaguars if they rolled with Minshew as their starting quarterback once Nick Foles recovered from his broken collarbone.
DEFENSIVE ROOKIE OF THE YEAR: Josh Allen, DE/LB, Jacksonville Jaguars
Since the Defensive Player of the Year award was given to a rookie, we’ll talk about the second-best rookie here.
Jacksonville dominated the 2019 NFL Draft, grabbing a potential long-term option at quarterback and drafting an explosive pass rusher. Like Bosa, Allen also has seven sacks. If the Jaguars can manage to sign Yannick Ngakoue to a long-term deal, then the Jaguars will have two pass game detonators on their defense for the foreseeable future.
COMEBACK PLAYER OF THE YEAR: Jimmy Garoppolo, QB, San Francisco 49ers
Garoppolo is 12th in ESPN’s
Quarterback Rating (QBR) and his team is 7-0. Let’s just roll with that, even if his actual contributions on the field can be debated.
COACH OF THE YEAR: Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
The 49ers are an absolute machine right now (and giving this award to Bill Belichick would be boring as hell). Only the most optimistic 49ers fan on the planet would’ve guessed they would be this good.
They’re 7-0 and just beat the
Panthers, 51-13, on Sunday. Their defense is utterly dominant, they have gamebreakers on offense, and Shanahan is maximizing every blade of grass with his playcalling. They’ve established themselves as the NFC’s premier Super Bowl contender and are on the fast track to wrapping up the No. 1 overall seed.
That’s one hell of a turnaround after a 10-22 record in the past two years.
THE 2018 ATLANTA FALCONS MOST DISAPPOINTING TEAM AWARD: Atlanta Falcons
Need I say more?
This team was in the Super Bowl just two and a half years ago and now it’s headed toward cap hell and a miniature rebuild. At 1-7, head coach Dan Quinn is assuredly going to get fired. General manager Thomas Dimitroff is on the hot seat, and the roster needs to be shaken up in the offseason.
The offense has been a disappointment, even with Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Austin Hooper on that side of the ball. Football Outsiders has them as the 18thranked offense in the league