Mid-Season NFL Honors

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Justin Valentovic, Staff Writer
November 10, 2019

The NFL season is a near the halfway mark and it is now time to take a look at who the mid-season award winners are.

MVP: Lamar Jackson

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Coming into this season Lamar Jackson had a lot to prove. Mainly the fact that he is a legitimate NFL quarterback and not just a running back. So far he has done nothing but prove all of doubters wrong and has developed into one of the best young QB’s in the game.

Jackson is simply doing things on the field that has not been seen since Michael Vick came into the league. But right now Jackson is a far better passer than Vick ever was. He cemented his case for mid-season MVP when he beat Tom Brady and the New England Patriots on Sunday Night Football.

On the season he has been able to pass for 1,813 yards 12 TD’s and only five interceptions. Often called a glorified running back, he has proven that he can drop back and pass the ball. Also, he has been able to rush for 637 yards and five touchdowns, which is already better than last year.

Lamar Jackson has lead the Ravens to a 7-2 record after beating the Bengals on Sunday. The Ravens have made themselves the biggest threat towards the Patriots in the Postseason. That is why he is the mid-season QB MVP.

Offensive Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey

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Sticking with the offensive side of the ball, the mid-season offensive player of the year award goes to, Christian McCaffrey. He has been keeping the Panthers relevant this season, despite the season ending injury to Cam Newton. As a running back McCaffrey is an amazing runner, but where he really makes an impact on the field is in the passing game.

In 2019 he has rushed for 881 yards, and 10 rushing TDs. While in the passing game he has caught 42 passes for 363 yards and three touchdowns. Coming into the season his goal was to have 1,000 yards rushing and receiving. If he were to accomplish that feet, then he would be the best two-way running back in the game.

McCaffrey  is easily the most valuable player to the Panthers’ offense. Considering the fact that he almost never comes off the field. With him racking up yards in the air and on the ground, he has become one of the best offensive weapons in the NFL.

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Josh Jacobs

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The final award for offensive players is the Offensive Rookie of the Year award, which is going to Raiders running back Josh Jacobs. Looking back at last year’s draft John Gruden took Jacobs with the 24th pick, which was questionable to say the least.  Jacobs has done nothing but prove to people that maybe Gruden  knows what he is doing. This comes a year after Gruden blew up the Raiders roster and traded star linebacker, Khalil Mack.

On the season Jacobs has rushed fro 811 yards and seven touchdowns, which is already the highest rushing season for any Raiders running back. That record was previously held by NFL Hall of Famer, Marcus Allen. Jacobs fits Gruden’s scheme perfectly, which is a hard nose running game, to set up the passing game. This has also helped Raiders QB Derek Carr return to form.

Even though the Raiders are a few years out and still are rebuilding, Jacobs has proven that he can be a key member for the Raiders once they make the move to Vegas next season.

Defensive Player of the Year & Defensive Rookie of the Year: Nick Bosa

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The Defensive Player of the Year award often goes to the biggest game-wrecker in the NFL. The Defensive Rookie of the Year award goes to best defensive rookie, Nick Bosa. Bosa wins both awards for his skill and pass rushing ability, and one of the key reasons why the 49ers are the only undefeated team in the NFL.

Bosa has done nothing but come in and wreck havoc in the backfield for opposing QBs and running backs. On the season Bosa has seven sacks 21 tackles, one interception, and a forced fumble. He is the newest member of the young D-line for the 49ers but he has made the biggest impact out of all of them.

In only 8 games this season, Nick Bosa has shown signs of being the NFL’s next great pass rusher. He has already made the case that he is better at this point in his career than his Pro-Bowl brother Joey.  But he has shown that he is going to be one of the league’s best for years to come.