With training camp coming to an end and the preseason starting this past week, the NFL regular season is now only weeks away. Around this time of year, all 32 NFL teams have some sense of hope, and while they may not all be super bowl contenders, week one is a reset point for every team. Anything that happened in the prior season no longer matters because every team starts fresh with a 0-0 record. Many intriguing storylines lead NFL fans to wonder, which players will stand out and contribute to a Super Bowl push.
NFL Most Valuable Player: Joe Burrow, QB Cincinnati Bengals
When casual NFL fans think of the modern-day NFL quarterback, they tend to describe the physical traits of the likes of Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, and Lamar Jackson. Ridiculous speed, superhuman throw power, freakishly athletic. These words all accurately describe the quarterbacks mentioned above. The NFL has evolved to a point where these physical traits are ideal for most offensive plays to reach their full potential. The truth is Joe Burrow does not have that one athletic trait that makes him stand out. Burrow, however, has enough athleticism to help him escape from pressure when needed. Burrow is also the best at what quarterbacks are intended to do, which is passing the football. Entering just his 4th season, Burrow already has the highest completion percentage in NFL history. In addition to this, Burrow has led the Bengals to two AFC Championship appearances and a Super Bowl berth. Burrow has a loaded receiving cast in Jamarr Chase, Tee Higgins, and Tyler Boyd, which will only help him succeed even more. The one thing that has been missing for Burrow is a solid offensive line. The Bengals’ offensive line has been so awful that Burrow has been sacked the most out of any quarterback for the last three seasons. This offseason, the Bengals signed Pro Bowl left tackle, Orlando Brown Jr. with the hope to fix their long needed offensive line support. If the Bengals offensive line can be above average at the minimum, Joe Burrow will be in for a huge year.
NFL Offensive Player of the Year: Travis Kelce, TE Kansas City Chiefs
History does not suggest that Travis Kelce has a chance to win this award. In the past, every Offensive Player of the Year has been either a quarterback, running back, or wide receiver. Tight ends have never received the respect that they deserve. To paraphrase Kelce, traditionally, a tight end is that wide receiver that isn’t fast enough and that tackle that isn’t strong enough. It’s safe to say that Travis Kelce has flipped the negative narrative on tight ends recently as he has proved to be one of the best offensive weapons in the last decade. Coming off his 7th straight, thousand-yard receiving season, Kelce is in position to make his strongest case yet to be the Offensive Player of the Year. As the Chiefs are more limited than ever at their wide receiver position this season, Patrick Mahomes will happily give Kelce the most targets in his entire career. This could result in Kelce having over 150 receptions and 1500 yards, which would be enough to capture the voters’ attention. If his touchdown numbers are high, which will be no problem with the Chiefs’ electric offense, Kelce should finally be named the Offensive Player of the Year.
NFL Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, DE Cleveland Browns
It is shocking that Myles Garrett is yet to be honored with the Defensive Player of the Year award. Garrett has had one role his entire career – to sack the quarterback. Aside from turnovers, sacks are the most significant and impactful play a defender can make. In the past three seasons, Garrett has had a league-leading 44 sacks. Along with this, almost every Pro Football Focus rating show Myles Garrett is the best defensive player in the NFL. When it comes to defenders, stats don’t lie, and they show Garrett to be the most impactful defender in the entire NFL. Entering his 7th season, it is time that Myles Garrett takes home this award.
Offensive Rookie of the Year: Bijan Robinson, RB Atlanta Falcons
Many called it a reach when the Atlanta Falcons selected running back Bijan Robinson with the 8th overall pick in the draft. Amid recent debate about the devaluing of the running back position, it seemed like a major risk to select Robinson so early in the draft. Running backs have the shortest average career length among all NFL positions, with an average span of 2.57 years. Historically, elite running backs will be stars immediately, but then will have a quick career decline soon after. Much of the time it is due to injuries, as running backs take more hits than any other position. We saw this sudden rise to stardom and steep career decline in former Cowboys running back, Ezekiel Elliott. Taking the NFL by storm, Elliott led the NFL in rushing yards in his rookie season. Elliott was so dominant, he even received MVP votes in his phenomenal rookie year. Since that season, Elliott was never the same as he dealt with injuries and suspensions that derailed his career. His career fell apart so much that he was eventually released by the Cowboys. Other running backs with career paths like Elliott are former Chiefs player Kareem Hunt and former Rams running back Todd Gurley. With all this said, Bijan Robinson is in a unique situation. In NFL history, there has never been a running back prospect as highly graded and hyped up as Bijan Robinson. While it is unknown how his career will shape following his rookie season, Bijan Robinson is looking like he will be an unprecedented running back for defenses to face. I would not be surprised if Robinson follows the steps of former rookie running backs and leads the NFL in rushing yards to start his promising career.
Defensive Rookie of the Year: Will Anderson, LB Houston Texans
Will Anderson was the top prospect in this past NFL Draft and was selected third overall by the Houston Texans. His three-year college career in Alabama proved why he deserves such praise. It was his sophomore year that really made him stand out as one of the best prospects in the entire country. Anderson led the defense with 17.5 sacks on the Alabama team which would eventually make it to the national championship game. Anderson is freakishly athletic and not a single offensive line was able to stop him in college. The only question that remains is if his skills will translate to the NFL level. Given that he has the athleticism and the mechanics to be elite on an NFL field, this seems likely.
Super Bowl Prediction: Cincinnati Bengals vs. Seattle Seahawks
More than half the teams in the AFC are Super Bowl contenders. The conference is loaded with more talent than ever before. While any team could win the AFC, I think the teams with the better quarterbacks will prove to have the advantage they need to win playoff games. The Cincinnati Bengals have the most stacked roster in the entire AFC along with potential MVP Joe Burrow, so they are my pick to win the AFC. To accomplish this, they must avoid the unforced errors that caused their downfall last season. The Bengals have a lot of young talent to be excited about, but once again the center of attention will be their wide receivers. Jamarr Chase will attempt to make his case as the best wide receiver in the NFL this year. Last playoffs, we saw Tee Higgins play like a superstar receiver, and he will take an even bigger leap this season. On almost any other team, Tee Higgins would be a wide receiver-one. The offense will no doubt be great, however their newly renovated defense leaves many unknowns. While the departures of safeties Vonn Bell and Jessie Bates do hurt, the front office managed this well by bringing in a lot of young talent for the secondary. Much of the talent comes with the linebackers and defensive line. With an emerging talent in Logan Wilson and an elite defensive line headlined by Trey Hendrickson and DJ Reader, this defense is one of the most underrated in the NFL. As we’ve seen in previous years, the Bengals defense needs to step up in critical situations to win playoff games.
The NFC champion is almost as hard to predict for the opposite reason. Compared to the AFC, the NFC is the weakest it has been in a long time, giving many lower tier teams a chance to contend. The Philadelphia Eagles are the heavy favorite to repeat as NFC champions; however, injuries may derail the party for them. The Eagles rely on their extremely successful system created by head coach, Nick Sirianni. It is mainly focused on read option rushing attacks mixed with some passing attacks. The passing game is heavily reliant on the Eagles two superstar receivers, and the rushing attack needs the Eagles league-best offensive line to be fully healthy. While they were relatively healthy last season, the offense has very little depth, and injuries to any players of significance could tear apart a very talented team. Another team that many people believe will win the NFC is the San Francisco 49ers. In recent seasons, the 49ers have faced constant injuries. Many argue that if the team can stay healthy, they are a super bowl lock. While I agree that this 49ers team will make the playoffs, I don’t think Brock Purdy as quarterback will be enough for them to win the conference. While a sleeper team, the Seattle Seahawks have all the tools needed for a Super Bowl run. Seattle’s offense is led by veteran quarterback entering his 10th season, Geno Smith. While for much of his career he was a backup, Smith took advantage of his opportunity last year and had a pro bowl season. This was no fluke as Geno Smith had the highest completion percentage in the NFL, along with throwing for over 4000 yards and 30 touchdowns. The Seahawks superstar receivers in DK Metcalf and Tyler Lockett provided a lot of help for Seattle’s offense. The Seahawks added to their wide receiver core this offseason, by drafting wide receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba. If the passing game is ever having an off day, the Seahawks have running back Kenneth Walker in the backfield. Walker, entering his second season, is coming off a sensational rookie season proving he is one of the best running backs in the league. While this offense sets high standards, the defense will not disappoint. The defensive line is nothing to be very excited about, however the Seahawks secondary might be the most electric in the NFL. Cornerbacks including second year sensation Tariq Woolen and 5th overall draft selection Devon Witherspoon will turn heads. Seattle also has proven star safeties, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams. Quarterbacks will be sure to avoid throwing towards this elite group of defenders.
This Super Bowl matchup would be intriguing to many but ultimately there is one major difference between these two teams. The Seahawks and Bengals have very similar teams; however, one team has Joe Burrow and the other does not. Geno Smith is one of the best quarterbacks in the league, but he is not close to the level that Joe Burrow is on. Burrow will give the Bengals more opportunities at impactful plays, which will ultimately win Cincinnati their first ever Lombardi Trophy.
Super Bowl LVII Champions: Cincinnati Bengals
Third Down With Devin 