To be clear, it is 100 percent too early to have a good handle on this subject. There are plenty of things that can come up between now and the season’s start that can totally change these predictions. With that in mind, I wanted to predict some of the awards for the upcoming NFL season. With that being said, let’s begin with MVP.
The Front Runners
Patrick Mahomes
The winner last year, not much will change for Mahomes heading into 2019. Kareem Hunt is gone and Tyreek Hill may not see the football field for quite a while, but still, the best offensive mind in the NFL still patrols the sidelines. Make no mistake, Andy Reid is brilliant and has a knack for putting his players in the best position to succeed.
Even without Hill, the Chiefs drafted Mecole Hardman from Georgia, who can be a serviceable replacement. Winning back-to-back MVP’s is quite an accomplishment. Since 1957, back-to-back MVP winners include Jim Brown, Joe Montana, Brett Favre and Peyton Manning (done twice), elite company for sure. Mahomes has the inside track to join their ranks if he has another stellar season.
Aaron Rodgers
I honestly don’t know whether to put him in the “dark horse candidates” or “front runners” category, but I went with front runner. After all, we know Rodgers is a great quarterback. With all the drama surrounding the Packers signal caller, it sure seems like Rodgers is having a fun off-season with new head coach Matt Lafleur. On top of that, Rodgers will come into the season with a huge chip on his shoulder. Gotta show the world just how much Mike McCarthy held him back, right?
Philip Rivers
Listen, although the guys who get the MVP awards play on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball is often key in making it happen. Enter: the Los Angeles Chargers defense. Jerry Tillery and Nassir Adderley are added to an already scary unit that already features standouts such as Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram, and Derwin James.
Rivers did lose a valuable target in Tyrell Williams, but Melvin Gordon and Austin Ekeler should be back on the field and healthy. Last year, Rivers had 32 touchdown passes, tied for third-most in his career. Rivers also only threw 12 interceptions, which are tied for third-least in his career. He had the second highest completion percentage of his career last year too.
Rivers will be turning 38 towards the end of the season, but Tom Brady won it at 40 years old. It’s not a stretch to imagine Rivers accepting the MVP award in front of all nine of his children.
Andrew Luck
The young quarterback is finally fully healthy (we hope) and has a competent general manager to work with. They nailed the draft last year and early on, it looks like the nailed it once again this year. They drafted Parris Campbell, Eric Ebron had an incredible year, and we all know who Ty Hilton is.
Last year, Luck had the highest completion percentage of his career as well as the second-highest marks of his career in terms of touchdowns and yards. Frank Reich is a premier offensive mind in the NFL. This team is going places, so is this Luck’s year? Another big question for the Colts: Can Marlon Mack run well enough to keep the offense from being one dimensional?
The Dark Horses
Ben Roethlisberger
Big Ben might be the biggest name on this list who has something to prove. With the tumultuous exit of both Le’Veon Bell and Antonio Brown, Ben has and the Steelers have looked vulnerable.
On his way out the door, Brown made it very clear what he thought of Big Ben. In conjunction with that, Ben revealed recently in an interview that he felt he didn’t do a great job leading last year. Even with the loss of Brown, JuJu Smith Schuster is waiting in the wings and the combination of Benny Snell and James Connor is promising. The Steelers also added a leader for the defense in Devin Bush. On top of that, the Steelers have an easier schedule than in years past. All things considered, Big Ben is poised to make a big comeback and prove he doesn’t need Antonio Brown.
Honorable mentions: Ezekiel Elliot, Matt Ryan, Jared Goff
