Unofficial winners
The official NFL individual awards will be handed out Feb. 3 — the night before the Super Bowl in Atlanta. Until then, here are some offbeat honors to consider.
Best game
Eagles 32, Texans 30. Aside from the meaning for both teams — the defending champs desperately trying to find a way into the postseason, the visitors seeking an AFC South title and to hold o nto a wild-card bye — it was a tremendously dramatic, well-played Week 16 game with twists and turns galore. And it ended on a last-second winning field goal by one of the Eagles’ heroes from last season, Jake Elliott.
Runners-up: Chargers 29, Chiefs 28 in Week 15 — too many flying flags to make it a classic; Rams 54, Chiefs 51 in Week 11 — for anyone who likes video-game shootouts; Cowboys 13, Saints 10 in Week 13 — if your tastes tend toward defense.
Worst game
Dolphins 27, Titans 20. Go all the way back to the season opener for, yawn, the longest game ever played. Two weather delays not only stretched out the day, they led to CBS going in and out of the telecast. At least it featured a tiebreaking 102-yard kickoff return by Jakeem Grant. The game took 7 hours, 8 minutes to play.
Runners-up: Lots of Cardinals games, maybe their 17-3 loss to the Lions the worst; a Thursday night 6-0 Jaguars win over the Colts in Week 14 marked not so much by stingy defense as inept offense.
Best game scene
When Drew Brees became the all-time leader in yards passing — with a 62-yard touchdown strike to rookie Tre’Quan Smith in Week 5 — officials stopped the game at the Superdome. Pro Football Hall of Fame officials were handed the game ball on the sideline while the crowd offered a loud and loving ovation. Brees removed his helmet, held out his arm to salute the crowd and hugged his wife, Brittany, and children.
“I love you guys so much,” Brees said while hugging his three boys while Brittany held their daughter. “You can accomplish anything in life if you’re willing to work for it.”
Best play of the year
No surprise here, except perhaps to the Patriots trying to defend the Dolphins’ final-seconds play in Week 14. Ryan Tannehill threw a 14-yard pass to Kenny Stills, who lateraled to DeVante Parker, who quickly lateraled to Kenyan Drake along the sideline. He cut toward the middle and found a seam, helped by a block from guard Ted Larsen at the 30. Drake beat two Patriots to the corner of the end zone — defensive back J.C. Jackson and tight end Rob Gronkowski, who was on the field as part of the prevent defense. Touchdown and a 34-33 victory. “I mean, honestly, I’m sitting before you all and I still don’t believe it,” Drake said. “I just saw it was Gronk in front of me and I was just like, ‘Look, I’ve got somewhere to be.’ So I had to get in the end zone.” Runners-up: Hard to find anything close. Try Derrick Henry’s 99-yard touchdown run for the Titans against the Jaguars, also in Week 14, to tie Tony Dorsett’s NFL record, set in 1983. Or Donte Jackson’s pick-2 in which he intercepted Brees’ 2-point-conversion pass and ran 100 yards the other way to give the Panthers two points in Week 15. Or Dwayne Harris’ 99-yard punt return in the Raiders’ Week 16 win against the Broncos.
Worst play of the year
The Lions let rookie punter Michael Dickson run for a first down when he actually was trying to take an intentional safety in the Seahawks’ 28-14 victory in Week 8. Dickson took the snap in his end zone and was supposed to give up the safety, but the Lions reacted so poorly that after drifting across the back of the end zone, Dickson figured he had a chance for a first down and took off running, gaining 9 yards. Mission accomplished. Runners-up: Roughing-the-passer call on Packers linebacker Clay Matthews when he made a textbook sack of Alex Smith in Week 3. Officials soon backed off on the overemphasis on such mistaken flags.
Best celebration
Just allowing more intricate and creative celebrations was a positive. And positively the best of a strong group, individually, was Chiefs receiver Tyreek Hill catching a touchdown pass against the Cardinals in Week 10, then jumping into the stands to operate the CBS television camera. The group trophy goes to the Vikings for their limbo dance, using Adam Thielen as the bar, in a Week 12 victory against the Packers.
Best coaching move
The gutsiest calls usually wind up as the best — or worst — coaching moves. What Anthony Lynn did at the end of the Chargers’ visit to Kansas City in a pivotal Week 15 game stamped LA as a championship-caliber squad. Trailing the Chiefs 28-27, Lynn ordered a 2point-conversion try with 4 seconds remaining. In other words, do or die. And the play worked so stunningly well that Mike Williams was absolutely uncovered in the end zone.
Runners-up: Any team that eschews the prevent defense late in a game; Pete Carroll emphasizing old-time football, defense and the running game to complement Russell Wilson’s brilliant quarterbacking.
Worst coaching move
Some critics will say anything Jon Gruden tried in his return to the NFL with the Raiders. We’ll stick with trading Khalil Mack and then Amari Cooper, sending the Raiders spiraling down the Black Hole. Runners-up: Bill Belichick using Gronkowski at safety to defend a Hail Mary pass that never figured to happen; Hue Jackson keeping Baker Mayfield on the bench to begin the Browns season.
Most improved player (offense)
We’re looking for guys who played enough in 2017 to be able to judge their improvement in 2018. So Patrick Mahomes doesn’t quite fit after one game last season. But Steelers running back James Conner, put in such a difficult situation replacing holdout Le’Veon Bell, is the right choice.
Runners-up: Bengals running back Joe Mixon and receiver Tyler Boyd; Seahawks running back Chris Carson; 49ers tight end George Kittle; Giants kicker Aldrick Rosas; Lions receiver Kenny Golladay; Colts running back Marlon Mack; Rams guard Austin Blythe.
Most improved player (defense)
Defensive tackle Chris Jones has become a sack machine, force against the run and one of the few Chiefs earning his keep all season on defense. He’s not quite at the Aaron Donald level, but he’s close. Runners-up: Jets safety Jamal Adams; Seahawks defensive tackle Jarran Reed; Saints defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins; Rams linebacker Cory Littleton; Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith; Bills linebacker Matt Milano; Falcons safety Domantae Kazee.
Best play-by-play announcer
Close your eyes and listen to a game Kevin Harlan calls on CBS on television and Westwood One on radio. You get a description like none other, so much so that you needn’t be watching to have a clear vision of the action. Explanatory, passionate and humorous, Harlan is simply the best.
Runners-up: Mike Tirico (NBC); Ian Eagle (CBS); Kenny Albert (Fox); Kevin Kugler (Westwood One).
Best analyst
We recognize that 2002 NFL MVP Rich Gannon partners with Harlan on Sunday afternoons, which no doubt raises his level of performance. Not that Gannon needs help. No one gives a better breakdown of what’s happening and why, who is deserving of credit and blame and what game situations call for. Another MVP showing for the former quarterback.
Runners-up: Troy Aikman (Fox); James Lofton, Dan Fouts and newcomer Bruce Arians (all CBS); Kurt Warner (Westwood One).