With the first four weeks of the 2021 NFL season in the book, the season is essentially a quarter way through.
Some teams have disappointed while others are have started unexpectedly hot, some players are putting up Madden like numbers while others are failing to live up to their own hype.
While there's still another 13 games to go, plenty of time to see the league correct itself, the fact that some players are having freakishly unorthodox season's makes one think; Who would leave with an award if the NFL Honours Awards were given out right now?
Lucky for you, I've been pondering the same thing myself and below is a way too early NFL Honours prediction for the main eight categories (otherwise this list would read like a thesis).
Lets get to it!
Rookie of the Year
Trey Lance
This one is a bit out there considering Lance has essentially played a half of football in his pro career, that coming today when starter Jimmy Garoppolo went down with a calf issue.
Lance was able to showcase his tremendous potential after a shaky start, connecting with speedster Deebo Samuel for a 76-yard strike and capping of a two-minute drill late in the fourth with another TD throw. He finished the game 9/18 for 157 yards and two TD's while adding 41 yards rushing from seven attempts.
While these numbers don't really jump out, Coach Mike Shanahan was essentially making up plays on the spot for Lance given he only had several packages designed for him heading into the game.
Meaning that if Lance nearly snatched a win in a half of Football while executing unfamiliar plays on the spot, he will surely wreak havoc on defences when he's fully prepared for action, especially considering he's surrounded by explosive playmakers in San Fransisco.
Offensive Rookie of the Year
Ja'Marr Chase
The man with butterfingers was all the talk coming out of Bengals camp as Chase spoke about the increased difficulty of catching an NFL ball compared to a College ball.
His preseason struggles didn't help his perception around the league and red flags started to amount for the fifth overall pick, all this despite him not playing a down last year (like that would have anything to do with it).
Yet in his first four games Chase looks exactly as he did in 2019 with his College, now Bengals teammate Joe Burrow, throwing him the ball as the two are seeming to replicate scoring plays identically in the pros. The Bengals wide-out currently has 297 receiving yards from 17 catches, averaging a whopping 17.5 yards-per-catch, not to mention the fact that he's already scored four TD's.
This man will give defences nightmares as his mix of speed, size and athleticism will cause miss-match issues no matter who lines up against him.
Defensive Rookie of the Year
Asante Samuel Jnr.
This man was a straight-up steal at pick 47 in the second round.
Samuel is a formidable lockdown specialist and ball-hawk, which comes as no surprise as his father was a two time Super Bowl champion, two-time interceptions leader and three-time All-Pro. He was born to play Football and born to play it at the highest possible level.
Samuel Jnr. has already recorded two picks and five passes defended in four games with the Chargers!
I like this pick a lot, especially given that he's already claimed Defensive Rookie of the Month honours.
Coach of the Year
Jon Gruden
The Raiders are 3-1 and appear to finally be mostly firing on all cylinders under Coach Gruden (Loss to the Chargers aside).
Last season the Raiders started off in a similar fashion but faded late, yet this doesn't seem to be the case for this group given the types of teams they've beaten thus far. They rallied late to snatch a victory against the Ravens in OT, methodically disposed of the Steelers and scrapped out the win in OT against a defensively disruptive Dolphins.
Gruden lead a team to the promised land years ago when he guided Tampa Bay to their first Super Bowl victory in 2003, and after a shaky and underwhelming first few years in charge of the Black and Silver, he looks poised to push for that mark once again.
Offensive Player of the Year
Derrick Henry
While the King will likely fall short of the ultimate recognition of individual brilliance, given its a Quarterback league, Henry appears poised to lay claim as the best offensive player in Football.
The man is a legitimate machine, built like a linebacker but as quick as deep-threat, Henry can run through or around anyone depending on how he's feeling on a given play.
Aside from a lacklustre start to the season where he was held to 58 yards on the ground, Henry has proceeded to rush for 182, 113 and 157 yards in his three games since. With 510 rushing yards in four games, Henry looks poised to easily reach the 2k mark in consecutive seasons.
If this were to happen he would be the first to achieve this feat twice, let alone in back to back years. If such a historic milestone were to be reached, let alone two if he broke the single-season rushing record (he has an extra game this season to do it), then Henry is a lock to run away with Offensive Player of the Year.
Defensive Player of the Year
Trevon Diggs
This must be the year of DB as Diggs, like Samuel Jnr, has been owning offences all season.
Diggs has FIVE interceptions, EIGHT passes defended and a TD return in FOUR games. Those numbers alone would almost guarantee a Pro-Bowl selection for a season's worth of work- Diggs has done this in, let me repeat, FOUR games.
Right now he has entire offences in his back pocket as his combination of coverage skills and playmaking prowess make it impossible to sustain momentum when driving the ball downfield.
As things currently stand, Defensive Player of the Year is Trevon Digg's to lose.
Comeback Player of the Year
Dak Prescott
Let's not kid ourselves here.
Without Dak Prescott the Dallas Cowboys are an overrated, overhyped and average to above-average team-Which was clearly evident in his absence last season.
Aside from a last-second loss to GOAT Brady in week 1, where Prescott played out of his skull, America's team is once again looking like a serious threat with their heart and soul finally back.
Prescott does whatever it takes to win, whether that be slinging the rock 58 times for 403 yards and three TD's or completing 14 passes for four TD's, he can do it all.
With 1,066 yards, 10 TD's and three wins from four games, let's just already give the man his damn trophy!
Most Valuable Player
Kyler Murray
Murray has been on fire to start the 2021 season, similar to last year before fizzling out, and appears to be the goods as he leads the undefeated Cardinals to a 4-0 record.
Baby Yoda is not only impossible to catch but even harder to bring to the ground once you've cornered him, as he usually darts around until bigger linemen tier out or fling one downfield for a first down. He appears to have taken another massive leap forward in the early parts of 2021 as he's displayed an ability to couple poise with maturity when the pocket breaks down.
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Instead of trying to outrun the defence when things break down, Murray's remained consistent in using his quick feet to dance around while bigger and more damaging plays develop downfield.
As a result of his continued development, Murray has thrown for 1,273 yards at 75.6 CMP%, nine TD's and run for another three scores.
While the Cardinals bolster a stellar defence, Kyler Murray is the engine that continues to put points up at will. This man also upstaged another MVP favourite in Matt Stafford today, and in doing so clearly established himself as the top dog in Football.
Murray can run, throw bombs, pick a defence apart pass bypass and leads an undefeated team. What else do you need in an MVP?
Let us know who you think would win the mentioned awards if the season were to end right now in the comments below 👇
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