NFL execs predict the biggest award winners: Picks for MVP, best rookies, top comeback player, breakouts

Week 1 is successful the books, and the champion portion astir Week 1 is that it tempts america to marque sweeping overreactions astir teams' outlooks. A half-dozen teams look primed for a triumphant march to Levi's Stadium connected Feb. 8 for Super Bowl LX. A half-dozen others request a full-scale teardown. Your favourite subordinate is either headed for NFL Honors oregon the bench, with small mediate ground.

None of this is genuinely applicable. It's Week 1. How other would you explicate that the antheral who astir broke the NFL rushing grounds past season, Saquon Barkley, managed 60 rushing yards vs. a subpar Dallas tally defence connected Thursday night? The roadworthy to the playoffs is seldom linear.

But what's certain: Championships necessitate idiosyncratic brilliance from prima players.

That's wherever we travel in, asking executives and scouts to benignant retired who volition beryllium holding the hardware erstwhile the 2025 play ends. From MVP to rookie of the twelvemonth and apical coach, fewer of the large awards connection wide consensus, which leaves country for a fewer surprises.

Jump to:
MVP | OPOY | DPOY | OROY | DROY
Comebacks | Breakouts | Top coach

MVP: Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens

Winning a 3rd MVP would enactment Jackson successful an exclusive nine of quarterbacks: Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas.

He astir pulled disconnected the feat past season, but Buffalo's Josh Allen outdistanced him successful the voting, which is fitting due to the fact that Allen had 424 full yards (30 rushing) and 4 full touchdowns (two rushing) Sunday vs. Jackson's Ravens astatine home. Jackson had 3 touchdowns (one rushing) of his own, on with 209 passing yards connected 19 attempts -- 27 less than Allen -- and 70 rushing yards.

Although Allen made a compelling opening lawsuit to spell back-to-back -- "he's the eventual difference-maker," an NFL unit evaluator noted postgame -- Jackson figures to beryllium successful the contention due to the fact that of a fewer factors: His dual-threat quality typically keeps his touchdown full high, helium consistently wins games (.736 vocation triumph percentage) and helium limits turnovers, averaging 1 interception roughl...