Since 2012, the NFL has hosted an event before the super bowl to award its best players. This year, as always, it will be hosted in the city hosting the super bowl, Minnesota. It will be hosted by Rob Riggle and will awards such as Most Valuable Player (MVP), Rookie of the Year, Coach of the Year, and more. These are the predictions for the upcoming award ceremony in order of last year’s presentation.

The first award is the FedEx Air and Ground Players of the Year. It is defined as the players who took control of the game when it mattered most. This year the Air award should go to Tom Brady, but due to its fan vote nature, do not be surprised if it goes to fan favorite Carson Wentz. For ground, the award will most definitely go to Todd Gurley. He was the best running back this year, and he led the league in touchdowns.

The Offensive Rookie of the Year boils down to two top contenders. Alvin Kamara brought a mix of running and passing that led the Saints to the divisional round in the playoffs. Kareem Hunt led the league in rushing yards and finished the season with eight rushing touchdowns. He paired this performance with 450 receiving yards and three more touchdowns in the air. Kamara rushed for just over 725 yards and matched Hunt’s eight touchdowns, but what really brings him into the discussion is his 820 receiving yards and five receiving touchdowns. The saints love to throw the screen pass to Kamara, and that led him to numbers a wide receiver would love to have. His 13 touchdowns should lead him to the honor of rookie of the year. Other players who will be in the running are quarterback DeShaun Watson, running back Leonard Fournette, and wide receiver Juju Smith Schuster. All three had great seasons that were limited by either injury or lack of playing time.

The offensive player of the year is a race among Tom Brady, Todd Gurley, and Antonio Brown. Brown was by far the best wide receiver in the NFL this season. At times he has seemed unstoppable on the field, but 2,000 scrimmage yards is hard to argue against. So unless the NFL wants to go quarterback for offensive player of the year it will probably give this award to Gurley.

The offensive line of the year is a battle between the Saints and Cowboys. The saints have had the top pass blockers, while the Cowboys have had the top run blocking. The Cowboys proved they were great during star running back Ezekiel Elliott suspension. Even during the suspension the Cowboys’ run game was top notch due to its offensive line. The Saints have allowed the second least sacks and QB hits, and due to the amount that Drew Brees throws the ball, it really has made the Saints the other contender for the award, but the Cowboys should win it for the second year in a row.

The Art Rooney award goes to the NFL player with the best sportsmanship. After each team selects a nominee for the award, the league selects eight overall finalists. This year’s finalists are Joe Thomas, Antonio Gates, Vernon Davis, Luke Kuechly, Haloti Ngata, Joe Staley, Josh McCown, and Alex Smith.

The USAA Salute to Service Award finalists are Andre Roberts, Ron Rivera, and Mike Mularkey.

The Clutch performer of the Year goes to the player who performed the best in a crucial in-game situation. The five nominees are Carson Wentz, who is being nominated for his week 7 performance in a win over the Redskins, Mark Ingram for his 130 yard 3 touchdown performance in week 10, Drew Brees for his week 11 overtime win, Antonio Brown for his 10 catch, 169 yard performance against the Packers in week 12, and Stefon Diggs for his great game and season-saving play in the divisional round against the New Orleans Saints. The award has to go to Diggs due to the gravity of the game and the fantastic play he made at the end.
The assistant coach of the year should be Pat Shurmur. He unleashed the VIkings offense despite their lack of stars. Adam Thielen, Latavius Murray, Stefon Diggs, and Case Keenum all made the most of the Shurmur offense and had fantastic seasons.

The coach of the year is another easy pick. Sean McVay walked into Los Angeles and elevated the Rams to a new level. The 31 year old is the youngest coach of all time but he took the Rams and made them a playoff team in one season.

The defensive rookie of the year should go to cornerback Marshon Lattimore. He has shut down top wide receivers all year. He has been by far the most impressive rookie on the defensive side of the ball and has become one of the top cornerbacks in the league.

Calais Campbell and Aaron Donald are the top candidates for defensive player of the year. The Jaguars went all the way to AFC championship game behind the strength of their defense which was anchored by Calais Campbell and the defensive line. He led the unit to be the best of the year and helped the Jaguars become a top team in the NFL. Aaron Donald has been one of the NFL’s most dominant forces, but Campbell has helped turn a team around and has been a huge part.

The comeback player of the year is a race between three candidates. Carson Wentz, Jared Goff, and Case Keenum. Wentz and Goff were the first two picks of the 2017 NFL draft, and both had respectful rookie seasons. Wentz had a better year and that makes his case for most improved worse, but Goff also stayed lower then Wentz this year. Keenum has been a career backup who emerged this year in the offense of Pat Shurmur. Carson Wentz should win due to the jump he made to MVP candidate.

The NFL man of the year finalists are Ben Watson, J.J Watt, and Greg Olsen.

The final award before MVP is the play of the year. This one is hard to predict, but Andy Dalton’s fourth down touchdown pass that led to the Bill’s playoff spot alongside Marshon Lattimore’s insane interception are two that stand out due to the importance they had on teams seasons.
Finally, MVP. This award should go to Tom Brady. At forty years old, Brady had a fantastic season, and unless the NFL wants to go a completely different route and give it to Gurley or Brown, Brady is the obvious choice.