The race for NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) has been the talk of the whole NFL 2019-2020 season. The winner will finally be announced on February 1 during the NFL Honors, the day before Super Bowl LIV. Not only will they announce the MVP, but they will also announce other yearly awards, such as Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year, Coach of the year, and more.

Predictions:

Offensive Rookie of the Year: Washington Redskins Wide Receiver Terry McLaurin

The Washington Redskins receiver was selected in the third round with the 76th pick in the draft. Coming into the season not many knew of McLaurin, but soon after the first game of the season Mclaurin had supporters and fans alike, turning heads with his five catches, 125 yards, and one touchdown. McLaurin put up multiple explosive games throughout the season, with one of his best games being against the Miami Dolphins in week six when the rookie had four catches, 100 yards, and two touchdowns. McLaurin’s best game of his rookie season was in week 15 when he had five catches, 130 yards, and a 75 yard touchdown. Terry McLaurin finished the year with 58 receptions, seven touchdowns, 919 yards, and averaging 15.8 yards per catch. McLaurin put up these stats while the Redskins were switching between struggling veteran quarterback Case Keenum and rookie quarterback Dwayne Haskins, who had little experience passing the football. The Washington Redskins have a lot to look forward to with this young and upcoming star.

Defensive Rookie of the Year: San Francisco Forty Niners Defensive End Nick Bosa

Nick Bosa was selected with the second overall pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. Going into the season being such a high pick in the draft and his older brother, Joey Bosa, having so much success in the league, everyone had high expectations for Nick Bosa. Luckily, Bosa lived up to those high expectations. He got his first sack in his first career game, which was against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Bosa had numerous impressive performances, with his best game coming arguably in week eight against the Carolina Panthers, when he had four tackles, three sacks, one pass deflection, and his first career interception. Nick Bosa finished his rookie season with 47 tackles, nine sacks, one forced fumble, and one interception. Bosa’s impressive rookie season helped the 49ers to finish 13-3, as well as help him make his first Pro Bowl. Going into the playoff match up between the 49ers and the Green Bay Packers on Sunday, the Packers left tackle David Bakhtiari was asked what Bosa does well as a rookie, saying, “I think he is a hell of a talent and I think he’s got a very bright future in this league.” Most importantly the 49ers, along with Nick Bosa’s help, will be playing in this year’s Super Bowl against the Kansas City Chiefs. San Francisco fans will have a lot of fun watching their rookie sensation getting after quarterbacks for years to come.

Offensive Player of the Year: Carolina Panthers Halfback Christian McCaffrey

The Carolina Panthers all and all did not have a productive season, finishing off with a record of 5-11, and firing their long time, fan favorite head coach, Ron Rivera. However, one bright spot of the Panthers season was their star running back Christian McCaffrey, who some NFL fans like to call “CMC.” Week after week McCaffrey finished games with fantastic stats. McCaffrey’s best game came against the Jacksonville Jaguars in week five. CMC had a total of 237 combined yards and three touchdowns. During the 2019-2020 season, Christion McCaffrey became the third running back in NFL history to have a 1,000 yards rushing and receiving in a single season. CMC also made First-Team All-Pro because of his astonishing season.

Defensive Player of the Year: New England Patriots Cornerback Stephon Gilmore

Stephon Gilmore’s eighth season in the NFL was his best. Stephon Gilmore is a man to man type of cornerback, meaning each game he follows the opposing team’s best wide receiver and guard him one on one. Although Gilmore was assigned this very tough task, he was extremely successful even against some of the league’s top wide receivers. When lined up against Cleveland Browns wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr., who many believe is one of the best receivers in the league, Gilmore only allowed five catches for 52 yards and did not allow Beckham to score. Gilmore’s best game of the season came against the Dallas Cowboys in week 12 when he faced Amari Cooper, a pro bowl wide receiver. In this match up Gilmore did not allow a single catch the entire game against Cooper. Stephon Gilmore finished off the season with 44 tackles and a league leading six interceptions, along with a league leading pass deflections. Gilmore capped off a great season by making First-Team All-Pro for the second time in his career, as well as being selected to this year’s Pro Bowl.

Coach of the Year: San Francisco 49ers Head Coach Kyle Shanahan

This season was Kyle Shanahan’s third season as head coach of the 49ers. Shanahan’s first season with the team finished with a record of 6-10. This record helped the 49ers land starting right tackle Mike McGlinchey, with the ninth pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft. In Shanahan’s second season as head coach, they finished with a record of 4-12, making them one of the worst teams in the entire league, which would give them the second pick in the first round of the 2019 NFL draft. With this first pick, the 49ers and Coach Shanahan selected star defensive end Nick Bosa, which heavily improved their defense. In the second round in the same draft, the 49ers selected wide receiver Deebo Samuel, who became key to the success of their offense. This year the 49ers finished with a 13-3 record, clinching the NFC west division title, and making their way to the Super Bowl in Miami. Since Kyle Shananhan was announced head coach of the 49ers, he, along with the rest of the organization, helped land some star players who were key to the team’s success.

Most Valuable Player (MVP): Baltimore Ravens Quarterback Lamar Jackson

It is no question Lamar Jackson has been the number one choice for MVP almost the entire season. Lamar Jackson was the most exciting and dominant player throughout the course of the season. His electrifying play helped guide the Ravens to a 14-2 record, the best record in the NFL. Week after week Jackson was on Sportscenter’s best plays. Jackson’s teammate Mark Ingram says that “He [Lamar Jackson] is just a special player who is only gonna get better and continue to improve.” His MVP type season began as soon as week one when the Ravens faced off against the Miami Dolphins. Jackson ended the game with 17 of 20 passes completed, 324 passing yards, and five touchdown passes. Jackson ended the season with 3,127 passing yards, 36 passing touchdowns (first in the league), and a quarterback rating of 81.9 (also leading the league). Jackson also broke the record for most rushing yards in a season with 1,206. With these stats, Jackson made First-Team All-Pro for the first time in his career, beating off Russell Wilson. Baltimore’s young quarterback was also selected to his first Pro Bowl this season.