Christmas Eve noticed many of the NFL’s slate performed on Saturday and it was freezing at most stadiums. Recovering from frostbite whereas opening presents as a household apparently was a vital evil to some. In two of the three stadiums the place followers weren’t shivering, two of the NFL’s main awards had been determined. Doesn’t matter what occurs within the remaining two weeks of the season. And disrespect the Vikings and Giants each including one other one-score sport to their resumes. It’s the showdowns within the Bay Space and Lone Star State that apply right here.
Nick Sirianni shall be your NFL Coach of the 12 months, regardless of his workforce dropping its second sport of the season yesterday. Nick Bosa would be the NFL Defensive Participant of the 12 months after the Commanders couldn’t cease him from rocking each Taylor Heinicke and Carson Wentz into 2023. The 49ers defensive finish had seven tackles, two sacks, a pressured fumble and 5 pressures within the win over Washington. To not point out, he sacked Wentz on a 2-point conversion attempt that gained’t get added to his stats. If something, Bosa’s efficiency wants consideration for total league MVP, regardless of Vegas’ assertion it’s a two-man, two-quarterback race between Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. It’s changed into a quarterback award, very like the Heisman Trophy, and the NFL MVP ought to’ve gone to Cooper Kupp final season. The case will unfairly probably by no means be made for Bosa.
Bosa has 17.5 sacks on the season and it isn’t a runaway from Patriots exterior linebacker Matt Judon who has 15.5. With how the Patriots have performed, there’s no approach the league offers him severe consideration. Judon could be implausible, however the NFL has made it clear that in case your workforce sucks, you’ll be able to’t rid your self of the suck. And due to this fact, having some suck eliminates Judon. Bosa can also be third within the league in quarterback pressures (51), regardless of lacking a sport earlier this season. You possibly can guess Bosa would have added to each spectacular totals if he didn’t miss a Week 6 matchup in opposition to the Falcons.
The opponents to Bosa for Defensive Player of the Year principally paled compared coming into yesterday’s video games. It was just a little murkier for Sirianni’s probabilities, primarily due to the competitors. Sure, the Eagles solely misplaced one sport all season previous to Saturday in opposition to the Commanders. It will’ve been a one-score loss with out attempting for Music Metropolis Miracle-style end, which led to a Washington defensive landing as the sport expired. Philadelphia did sufficient in a one-score highway loss to an 11-4 Dallas workforce with out Hurts behind middle to show Sirianni’s case shall be too robust.
With Gardner Minshew at quarterback, Philadelphia’s offense didn’t miss a lot of a beat. The elusiveness of Hurts was a layer of the Eagles’ offense that was gone, but the Birds nonetheless put up 34 factors in opposition to an above-average Cowboys protection. Sirianni is an offensive-minded coach and all the time has been. The critique of why his protection gave up 40 factors is legitimate, however it must be balanced with one of many frontrunners for league MVP not in uniform at AT&T Stadium, and maintaining with the Cowboys.
G/O Media could get a fee
Andy Reid and Sean McDermott’s names shall be within the coach of the 12 months conversations. Throw in Giants rookie head coach Brian Daboll, too, for the way rapidly he’s turned Huge Blue again right into a playoff workforce which solely a psychopath would have predicted earlier than the season. Kevin O’Connell has completed a terrific job in Minnesota however has a related resume to Sirianni’s, and it’s clearly weaker when put next immediately. Kyle Shanahan is a darkish horse after succeeding with his third-string quarterback. And so they’re all actually preventing for second fiddle to Sirianni.
Sirianni’s offensive system seemed so good with out Hurts, it’s the most effective case Mahomes has for NFL MVP. Insert Chad Henne as Kansas Metropolis’s beginning quarterback. There isn’t a shot he’s wherever as efficient as Minshew was yesterday. Hurts has been incredibly valuable in 2022, however Mahomes being constantly pristine shouldn’t distract from the truth that he’s other-worldly. Eight quarters is a variety of time for issues to alter within the NFL. Sure, the Eagles and 49ers have playoff spots locked up. San Francisco already gained its division. You possibly can guess on Sirianni and Bosa taking dwelling league-wide honors not going away.
