Let’s clap for Kupp, Broncos, and Titans and throw some love at the Jags and ‘their’ Josh Allen.
It’s the season’s halfway point, so it’s a good time to talk about NFL awards. If the season ended today, here would be my picks.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Jamar Chase, Bengals. Chase has been dominating, on pace to smash rookie receiving records. He is the clear WR1 for the Bengals, a headache for defenses all year.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Micah Parsons, Cowboys. With 52 tackles and five sacks, Parsons has established himself as a dominant linebacker and pass rusher. A defensive anchor, he’ll be a long-time force in Dallas.
Offensive Player of the Year: Cooper Kupp, Rams. Incredible all year, Cupp is a weekly regular in my Mount Rushmore Rankings. About 200 yards shy of his career-high for receiving yards in a season, he has already tied his touchdown total. Coop puts up solid numbers week after week.
Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Browns. Garrett is putting together another great year for the Browns. An elite pass rusher, he’s a double-team magnet, and that opens up opportunities for teammates. He already has 12 sacks and will likely set a career-high in that critical defensive category.
MVP, Josh Allen, Bills. Despite an absolutely horrendous Week 9 performance against the lowly Jags, Allen still has put together an outstanding body of work. The Bills came into the week as the highest-scoring offense in the league, and Allen is a big reason. He’s on pace to throw for 4000 yards and 35 touchdowns.
Week 8 Team Power Rankings
Jags. The Jags came up big against the Bills, holding the highest-scoring offense in the league to six points. Ugly as it was, a win is a win.
Browns. The Browns went to Cincinnati and took down the Bengals in a game that was never in doubt. Cleveland scored on their first three possessions and looked good doing it. It was their biggest winning margin against Cincinnati since 1987.
Titans. No Henry. No problem. The Titans got the job down against the juggernaut Rams. Byard’s defensive touchdown added to Ryan Tannehill’s scores, and the Titans made a great first step toward the playoffs without their lead threat.
Broncos. No dream or hyperbole–Denver beat Dallas on Sunday. With almost 200 rushing yards and another 250 in the air, the Broncos took control of the game early, stymied the ‘Boys offense, and held on for the win. This game wasn’t as close as the final score (30-16) suggests. It was 30-0 with 6:30 left.
Mount Rushmore Rankings
Josh Allen (Jags), eight tackles, one sack, one fumble recovery, one interception. In the battle of Josh Allen’s, Josh Allen of the Jags went after Josh Allen of the Bills and established himself as the better Josh. (I had to fit that in here somewhere.)
James Connor, 96 rushing yards, 77 receiving yards, three total TDs. Connor took over for Arizona and scored three touchdowns. He also notched a season-high in rushing yards, receiving yards, and touchdowns.
Jonathan Taylor, 172 rushing yards, two TDs. Taylor is the second-highest-ranked RB in fantasy scoring, and this week he showed why. JT went for nearly 200 yards and was part of the high-powered Colts offense that put up 45 points.
Olamide Zaccheaus, 58 receiving yards, two TDs. With Ridley out, the Falcons needed someone to step up at WR, and they got it from Zaccheaus. Who would have thought? He came into the game with only one TD and a season-high of three catches for 32 yards. This week, he scored twice on three targets.
