This season has been a wild ride and we’re already halfway through… but that also means there’s a half of a season left. At this point we definitely have a decent idea of which teams are good at what but there’s still a lot up in the air so here are my predictions.
Click here to view my game by game breakdown of the remainder of the season and how I came to my decisions for the power rankings to the right.
AWARDS
Most Valuable Player
Russell Wilson: My pick for MVP before t
he season was Russ, and what he’s done so far certainly hasn’t convinced me otherwise. Since entering the league, Russ has always been among the best players in the league, but his production never matched it, finally, it is. In 2020, Russ’s stat line appropriately represents his skill with 4,817 yards, 49 touchdowns, and 7 interceptions.
Offensive Player of the Year
Dalvin Cook: Dalvin Cook is awarded the consolation prize to MVP. I don’t think the Vikings will end the season with a great record, but almost every win they do get will be thanks in large part to Cook. Elevating the Vikings to five wins, Cook misses 2 games but still finishes the year with 1,482 yards and 13 touchdowns on the ground, tacking on 306 and 2 touchdowns through the air.
Defensive Player of the Year
Budda Baker: Now that the Cardinals are finally getting primetime games, Budda’s finally getting recognition. Before the season, I thought that the Cardinals defense would drastically improve, but I mainly credited Isaiah Simmons. It turns out even I, a huge Budda fan, was also underrating him. In a campaign that puts his name on the map, Budda finishes with 132 tackles, 4 interceptions, 3 forced fumbles, and an impressive medley of passes defensed, tackles for loss, and quarterback pressures.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Justin Herbert: Joe Burrow has had one of the best rookie quarterback seasons in recent memory and will probably win rookie of the year but I think, based on their performances, Justin Herbert has been better. It’s really close and this might just be me searching for a contrarian take but Herbert has looked like one of the best players in the league whereas Burrow has been a little more inconsistent. In the end, Herbert smashes rookie records, throwing for 4,543 yards, 33 touchdowns and 13 interceptions, while running for 353 yards.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Antoine Winfield: Despite my preseason optimism, the Bucs’ defense has shattered my expectations. Winfield is certainly not the most important part of a defense with Shaquil Barrett, Devin White, Lavonte David and Carlton Davis but he’s made a big impact. Winfield finishes an impressive rookie season with 83 tackles, 2 interceptions and 3 sacks.
Comeback Player of the Year
Matthew Stafford: It hasn’t happened yet and the loss of Kenny Golladay hurts a lot but I don’t understand why the Lions have been so conservative in comparison to 2019. While healthy in 2019, Stafford was having an MVP season; now in 2020, the coaching staff has virtually abandoned the aggression that made Stafford so great. All of this leads me to believe that, even with Golladay out, the Lions will try to return to their 2019 form, thus piling on stats for Stafford. If the Lions start throwing deep more, Stafford will throw for 4,264 yards, 31 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions.
Coach of the Year
Mike Vrabel: Since Ryan Tannehill took the starting quarterback role, the Titans have been really good but I still don’t understand why so I’m just assuming Vrabel is a significant factor. Coach of the Year is an indictment of whichever team overperformed expectations the most, and to me, that is certainly the 12-4 Titans.
PLAYOFFS
Wildcard
Las Vegas Raiders vs Pittsburgh Steelers: As of week 8, the Steelers are widely considered the best in the league and their offense hasn’t even done much yet. The Raiders have a bright future, but with Derek Carr at quarterback, there’s no way they’re beating this behemoth.
Cleveland Browns vs Tennessee Titans: In the past, I’ve been very vocal about doubting the Titans but at this point, even though I don’t really know why I believe that they will continue winning games. The Browns are on the way up, but the Titans just keep winning.
Baltimore Ravens vs Buffalo Bills: Basically since my article about Josh Allen and the Bills being fantastic, their offense has returned to 2019 form and their defense has remained its 2020 self (both not good things). The Ravens also turned into a bit of a pumpkin themselves but they’re still significantly better than the Bills so long Allen doesn’t regain that early season magic.
Los Angeles Rams vs Green Bay Packers: Before the season, I thought the Rams were bad, then they made me think they were good, and now I’ve returned to thinking they’re bad after their offense blew up against the Dolphins. One thought regarding this matchup has persisted throughout the entire season: the Packers are good.
New Orleans Saints vs Tampa Bay Buccaneers: Drew Brees seems to be washed at this point and the Saints’ supporting cast will carry them to a lot of wins, but against a Super Bowl-caliber opponent, Brees’ lack of arm talent will be showcased.
Arizona Cardinals vs Philadelphia Eagles: Lol.
Division
Baltimore Ravens vs Kansas City Chiefs: I feel like I’ve talked about this matchup before… in my preseason predictions, I had this as the AFC Conference Championship and Baltimore winning, this time the result is different. My rationale before was that both offenses were equally great but Baltimore’s defense was far in a way superior to Kansas City’s, I’m now doubting both of those statements.
Tennessee Titans vs Pittsburgh Steelers: As I said when discussing Vrabel, I don’t quite know why the Titans are good but I’ve accepted the fact that they just keep winning. At this point though, against one of the best teams, the magic runs out. As long as the Titans can keep this unit together and running this same way, they’ll still remain a force to be reckoned with in years to come.
Arizona Cardinals vs Seattle Seahawks: Both offenses are electric and both defenses are flawed but have upside. In the end, this game will come down to the better quarterback: Russell Wilson. The Cardinals have lots of great pieces but everything the Cardinals have, the Seahawks have a bigger and better version of it.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Green Bay Packers: Two of the best quarterbacks ever face off in a rematch of the Bucs’ demolition of the Packers earlier in the season. This time, it’ll be a different process but the same result. Both offenses are great but if Antonio Brown is still great (on the field), the Bucs’ offense will be virtually unstoppable. In addition to their stacked offense, their defense is also among the best in the league and will be able to slow down Aaron Rodgers just enough to get the win.
Conference
Pittsburgh Steelers vs Kansas City Chiefs: It feels lame to pick the Chiefs to be in their second consecutive Super Bowl but Patrick Mahomes is just that good. The Steelers’ defense is pretty clearly the best in the league but I don’t think that can stop Mahomes. Even if they can find a way to contain him, the Chiefs still have Tyreek Hill running wild with Clyde Edwards-Helaire and Le’Veon Bell in the backfield. In the end, the best offense prevails.
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Seattle Seahawks: If you couldn’t tell, I’m a big Russell Wilson truther but in this matchup, he’s pinned up against the best ever… with an absolutely loaded offense… with a top five defense. Against a relatively weak Seattle defense, the Bucs will be able to put up points at will whereas Russ may get shut out a few times. Though the Seahawks’ offense is slightly better than the Bucs, the difference is made up for in the major discrepancy on the other side of the ball.
Super Bowl
Tampa Bay Buccaneers vs Kansas City Chiefs: Since Patrick Mahomes’ breakout, we’ve seen a few Brady vs Mahomes matchups and they never seem to disappoint; if we get the pleasure of seeing this Super Bowl matchup, even though Brady will be wearing different colors, I think it will be just as good or better than the other ones. Though it’s an unreliable narrative, I think Tom Brady truly has an incomparable motivation to be the best ever, so now separated from Bill Belichick, he’ll do everything in his power to win one more Super Bowl… it won’t come easily though. In order to win a Super Bowl away from New England he has to go up against the best player right now, a good running game, and a solid defense. I’m torn on who to pick to win but in the end, I think Mahomes wins his second ring in his third year starting, strengthening his case as the greatest of all time.