Lamar My Regular Season MVP
The main award of the NFL betting season is always the award for Most Valuable Player. Only taking into account the regular season, my MVP this year has to be Lamar Jackson.
I know the Baltimore Ravens didn’t end up making it to the final four but he still had an outstanding season.
Some of his regular season performances were incredible. He and Josh Allen were fighting it out for top spot all year.
One of the main ways of putting yourself into the MVP conversation is making what I call ‘wow’ plays that make people sit up and take notice; Lamar made more than enough of those.
Saquon Barkley Has Been Unstoppable
My offensive player of the year was one of the easiest decisions as it’s hard to look past Saquon Barkley – he has been unstoppable.
It’s a shame he didn’t get the chance to break that single-season rushing record, but it was clearly the right decision because the Philadelphia Eagles have made it to the Super Bowl with him fit and ready to go.
The Eagles’ offense has revolved around him and he’s stepped up to the task.
If they go on to win the Superbowl then his season won’t be forgotten in a hurry, especially if he gets 30 more rushing yards to break Terrell Davis' all-time single-season record of 2,476, including playoffs.
Surtain Has Been The Standout On Defense
Patrick Surtain II has been my defensive player of the year. He’s been brilliant for the Denver Broncos defense.
It can be hard to stand out as a cornerback in the NFL because a lot of the praise goes to the linebackers who are making sacks and highlight plays.
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He got paid at the start of the season and there were questions over whether he was going to be able to live up to the expectation, but he’s certainly done that.
Commanders and Daniels Surprised Us All
The team that really exceeded my, and I think everyone else’ expectations were the Washington Commanders. At the start of the season, I don’t think anybody would’ve picked them to make the final four!
The man at the centre of their success was quarterback Jayden Daniels and he has to be my rookie of the year.
It shows just how good a rookie is when they don’t play like one, and he looked like a seasoned pro out there at times this season. He couldn’t quite take them all the way to the Super Bowl but that was through no fault of his own.
The Commanders will be looking ahead to next season thinking they’re way ahead of where they thought they’d be at this stage, largely because of Daniels. Now they have no choice but to build the team around him for the foreseeable future.
It’s Time To Get Off The Cowboys Train
The team that disappointed me most this season were the Dallas Cowboys. I think it’s finally time for me to get off the Cowboys train, because I keep waiting for it all to come together but it doesn’t seem to be getting any closer.
You look at the likes of Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb and think they should be up there competing for the playoffs, but the problem lies upstairs.
You can have as many star players as you want, but if you don’t have the right coordinators then it won’t work.
Just look at the Chiefs with Steve Spagnuolo as their defensive coordinator. He’s a four-time Super Bowl champion as a defensive coach and he knows how to get it right with these star players.
Having the stars is one thing, but having the right play-callers is so important.
