{"id":729373,"date":"2026-02-04T18:31:26","date_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:31:26","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/729373\/"},"modified":"2026-02-04T18:31:26","modified_gmt":"2026-02-04T18:31:26","slug":"column-predicting-the-nfl-honors-again","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/729373\/","title":{"rendered":"Column | Predicting the NFL Honors \u2026 again"},"content":{"rendered":"

About a year ago, I made my first attempt<\/a> at correctly predicting the winners of the NFL Honors. As the conclusion of the 2025 season nears with Super Bowl LX<\/a>, the league hosts its annual award show on Feb. 5<\/a>. It\u2019s time to make another prediction and hope that it\u2019s better than 50% accurate.<\/p>\n

Here are my official predictions for the winners of the 15th annual NFL Honors:<\/p>\n

AP Most Valuable Player: Matthew Stafford, quarterback, Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n

This season was full of unpredictability, and Los Angeles Rams<\/a> quarterback Matthew Stafford<\/a> showed that age is just a number. Stafford exploded on the stat sheet this season with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

For the majority of the 2025 season, his Rams were one of the best teams in the NFC. Even though he wasn\u2019t able to clinch the NFC West or the conference, Stafford led the Rams into the playoffs as a serious Super Bowl contender.<\/p>\n

Although some may argue that Stafford was \u201cstat padding,\u201d his efficiency and consistency made him one of the best quarterbacks throughout the 2025 regular season.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Drake Maye<\/a>, quarterback, New England Patriots<\/a><\/p>\n

AP Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, defensive end, Cleveland Browns<\/p>\n

After a historical, record-breaking season, there is no denying that Cleveland Browns<\/a> defensive end Myles Garrett<\/a> should be the unanimous choice for 2025 Defensive Player of the Year.<\/p>\n

Garrett broke the league\u2019s single-season sack record<\/a> in the Browns\u2019 week 18<\/a> matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals<\/a>. Garrett ended his season with 23 sacks<\/a>, which surpassed Michael Strahan\u2019<\/a>s record that he set 25 years ago.<\/p>\n

Garrett\u2019s ability to absorb the opposing offensive line while also being able to break the record created a sizable defensive impact for Cleveland this season. The defensive end\u2019s historic season should be awarded, and I would be shocked if this Garrett isn\u2019t giving an acceptance speech later this week.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Aidan Hutchinson<\/a>, defensive end, Detroit Lions<\/a><\/p>\n

AP Offensive Player of the Year: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, wide receiver, Seattle Seahawks<\/p>\n

After being taken 20th overall<\/a> in the 2023 NFL draft, Seattle Seahawks<\/a> wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba<\/a> had high expectations after a record-breaking season at Ohio State<\/a>. So far, Smith-Njigba has had a steady improvement in production. After trading DK Metcalf in March<\/a>, Smith-Njigba became the team\u2019s top target for the season.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Smith-Njigba led the NFL in receiving yards (1,793 yards<\/a>) and was in the top 10<\/a>\u00a0in receiving touchdowns. The receiver took an enormous leap in his production value and helped lead his team to the Super Bowl.\u00a0<\/p>\n

He did all this without leading the league in receptions, which showcases his efficiency. Smith-Njigba made his case as the best receiver throughout the season, and he did so without missing a single game<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Puka Nacua<\/a>, wide receiver, Los Angeles Rams<\/p>\n

AP Offensive Rookie of the Year: Tetairoa McMillan, wide receiver, Carolina Panthers<\/p>\n

This award has been tossed around throughout many players this season, but the one consistent rookie who most impacted his team\u2019s record was Carolina Panthers<\/a> wide receiver Tetairoa McMillan<\/a>.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMillan was one of the top receivers<\/a> in the 2025 draft, and pairing him with a developing quarterback in Bryce Young<\/a> was one of my favorite pairings going into the season. It started slowly, but as the season progressed, both complemented each other well. The connection helped the Panthers take the NFC South and secure a home playoff game for the first time since 2015<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

McMillan ended his season with 1,014 receiving yards and seven touchdowns<\/a>, which is the most of any rookie this season. McMillan not only proved that he is a WR1 for the Panthers but also an upcoming star in the NFL.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Jaxson Dart<\/a>, quarterback, New York Giants<\/a><\/p>\n

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year: Xavier Watts, safety, Atlanta Falcons<\/p>\n

Defensive Rookie of the Year is a challenging debate. In the end, it comes down to who made the most impact and showcased that they belong in the pros. This year\u2019s award goes to Atlanta Falcons<\/a> safety Xavier Watts<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The Falcons took Watts in round three this past year, perhaps hoping that he could form a dynamic duo with Pro Bowl safety Jessie Bates III<\/a>. That duo not only materialized, but Watts also showed that he can be one of the league\u2019s biggest ball hawks for years to come.<\/p>\n

In just his first season, Watts came away with a league-leading five interceptions<\/a>. This stat, along with his 59 solo tackles and 11 passes defended<\/a>, has put him in the conversation as a strong candidate for the award, and I will not be surprised if he gets chosen as this year\u2019s Defensive Rookie of the Year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Carson Schwesinger<\/a>, linebacker, Cleveland Browns<\/p>\n

AP Comeback Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, running back, San Francisco 49ers<\/p>\n

After starting his 2024 season with an Achilles injury, San Francisco 49ers<\/a> running back Christian McCaffrey<\/a> was thought to make his return to the team mid-way through the year. But four games into his return, McCaffrey suffered a season-ending PCL knee injury<\/a> against the Buffalo Bills<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This season, after going through surgery and rehab, McCaffrey fully recovered from his injuries and carried the 49ers to the NFC Divisional round. Even though the team dealt with multiple injuries to its roster throughout the season, McCaffrey managed to stay healthy and helped his team past the defending Super Bowl Champions, the Philadelphia Eagles<\/a>, in the Wild Card<\/a>. In total, the running back put up 1,202 rushing yards, over 900 receiving yards and 17 total touchdowns<\/a> this year.<\/p>\n

McCaffrey recorded the most receiving yards<\/a> by any running back and finished top 10<\/a> in rushing yards this season. After coming back from multiple injuries that affected his Achilles, knees and calves<\/a>, to still able to play one of the best seasons in his career, McCaffrey should be recognized as a great comeback story.<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Aidan Hutchinson<\/a>, defensive end, Detroit Lions<\/p>\n

AP Coach of the Year: Mike Vrabel, New England Patriots<\/p>\n

Heading into the season, the expectations for the Patriots were that they were going to improve from a four-win season<\/a> to a respectable eight-to-nine-win season. No one saw that the Patriots were going to become one of the top teams in the league within one season under a new head coach.<\/p>\n

Hiring<\/a> Mike Vrabel<\/a> proved to be one of the league\u2019s savviest moves this past offseason. Vrabel previously played for the Patriots and had grown a reputation as a head coach who brings out the passion in his players with his former team, the Tennessee Titans<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

In his first season as head coach, Vrabel saw his second-year quarterback, Drake Maye, develop into an MVP candidate and led a top 10 defense<\/a> in the NFL. Not only that, but he took this team from 16 total wins in the past three seasons to a 14-3<\/a> regular season and a Super Bowl appearance.\u00a0<\/p>\n

This makes Vrabel the eighth coach<\/a> in NFL history to bring his team to the Super Bowl in his first year as head coach. This rare accomplishment immediately tops the other candidates in the running for this award and makes it almost unanimous on who should be named Coach of the Year.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Ben Johnson<\/a>, Chicago Bears<\/a><\/p>\n

AP Assistant Coach of the Year: Vance Joseph, defensive coordinator, Denver Broncos<\/p>\n

The Denver Broncos<\/a> were one of the teams many expected to make a big jump this year after making the playoffs last season. Throughout this season, the Broncos\u2019 defense has been one of the biggest threats to opposing teams\u2019 offenses. The mastermind behind this formidable unit is Vance Joseph<\/a>.<\/p>\n

This is Joseph\u2019s third season as the team\u2019s defensive coordinator, and each has been better than the last. This year was the Broncos\u2019 best defensive showing since their Super Bowl run in 2015.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph\u2019s defense allowed 278 yards per game<\/a>, which statistically puts them as the second-best defense behind the Houston Texans<\/a>, who allowed 17 fewer total yards. The reason why Joseph is deserving of this award is that he was to the Broncos ending their season with the best record in the NFL<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Joseph helped keep opposing teams under 20 points 11 times this season. In a league where high-scoring games are inevitable, Joseph kept his team\u2019s chances of winning games at the highest by allowing the third-fewest points<\/a> in the league.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Runner-up: Josh McDaniels<\/a>, offensive coordinator, New England Patriots\u00a0<\/p>\n

That\u2019s all, folks<\/p>\n

If anyone dares to place bets on this based on what I said, that is your risk to take. I am pretty confident in my predictions, considering how unpredictable this NFL season has been. I will be looking back to see the results of this list and congratulating myself for finally getting a 100%.\u00a0<\/p>\n

You can watch the 15th annual NFL Honors<\/a> on NBC or Peacock on Thursday at 8 p.m CDT. The Super Bowl<\/a> kicks off Sunday at 5:30 p.m. CDT on NBC.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/p>\n

@Jon_Mathew23<\/p>\n

[email\u00a0protected]<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"About a year ago, I made my first attempt at correctly predicting the winners of the NFL Honors.…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":729374,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2075],"tags":[235,260,2567,7,6,20674,236],"class_list":{"0":"post-729373","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-carolina-panthers","8":"tag-carolina","9":"tag-carolina-panthers","10":"tag-carolinapanthers","11":"tag-football","12":"tag-nfl","13":"tag-nfl-honors","14":"tag-panthers"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/channels.im\/@nfl\/116013792196391906","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729373","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=729373"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/729373\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/729374"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=729373"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=729373"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rawchili.com\/nfl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=729373"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}