The smell of pumpkin is in the air, the leaves are starting to fall and Halloween stores are getting ready to sell out. It’s October, and we are already a quarter of the way done with the NFL regular season. If the season ended today, the following players and coaches would be in line to earn the NFL’s biggest awards.
MOST VALUABLE PLAYER
Kareem Hunt
Imagine if Spencer Ware didn’t get injured in the preseason. We would have been missing out on some miraculous numbers to say the least. Kareem Hunt is just flat out special. After fumbling on his first ever NFL touch, Hunt has turned into a monster.
Obviously, it is extremely rare for a non-quarterback to win this award. Of the last ten winners, Adrian Peterson is the only running back to win the award. Peterson won in 2012, when he rushed for over 2,000 yards. Through four weeks, Hunt’s 502 rushing yards has him on pace to be a 2,000-yard rusher.
Hunt is averaging a league-leading 125.5 yards per game on the ground. His 659 yards from scrimmage have him on pace to shatter the all-time record for yards from scrimmage in a season. That’s right, Hunt is on pace to reach 2,636 yards, which would eclipse Chris Johnson’s record of 2,509.
Hunt is averaging 7.4 yards per carry, which has never been done through four weeks when a running back has at least 50 carries. He is also nearly impossible to tackle, as his 25 broken tackles leads the NFL. The best stat about Hunt is, if we only counted his second half rushing yards, he would still lead the NFL in rushing. The Chiefs have yet to lose a game, and although Alex Smith looks good, Kareem Hunt is the main reason for their success.
Todd Gurley
Because of Kareem Hunt, Todd Gurley is not getting nearly the amount of love that he deserves. Yes, people are talking about the Rams and Sean McVay changing the culture, but what Gurley is doing is absolutely remarkable. Not only is he dominating on the ground, but Gurley also is playing like an elite receiver.
Gurley is second in rushing yards, second in rushing touchdowns, second in rushing yards per game and first in first downs converted. He is more efficient on the ground than last year, and his receiving numbers are up there with legit number one wide receivers.
Gurley is fourth in receiving touchdowns, tied for 20th in catches, and is top 25 in terms of receiving yards. Through four weeks, Todd Gurley has more receptions than Julio Jones, Demaryius Thomas and T.Y. Hilton.
The former Georgia star is on pace for 80 receptions, which would shatter his previous high of 43. His seven total touchdowns lead all players. Gurley is making Jared Goff look like a franchise quarterback.
Tom Brady
Unfortunately, Tom Brady cannot play both sides of the ball. The Patriots defense, which has allowed more total yards than anyone in the league, is the real reason why the Pats sit at 2-2. Brady is doing just fine. He currently sits first in passing touchdowns with 10, is second in passer rating, first in passing yards and first in adjusted yards gained per pass attempt. Brady also has yet to throw an interception.
This is all without his favorite target, Julian Edelman, who is done for the season. The 40-year-old legend is playing out of his mind, and shows no signs of slowing down. For the Patriots’ sake, let’s hope their defense doesn’t end up in the history books as one of the worst defenses of all time. No seriously, New England is on pace to dethrone the 2012 Saints record for most yards allowed in a season.
Aaron Rodgers
Arguably the most gifted quarterback in league history, Aaron Rodgers is off to a superb start, and he has his Packers at 3-1. Rodgers is no stranger to this award, winning it back in 2011 and 2014. In 2014, Green Bay started out 2-2 and Rodgers had nine touchdowns. This year, Rodgers has 10 touchdowns, and is completing 66.9 percent of his passes, which would be his third most efficient season in his career.
Rodgers is tied with Brady for passing touchdowns, but also has been sacked 15 times, which is third most in the league. If Rodgers wants a shot at a third MVP, the Packers better learn how to protect him. In his two MVP seasons, Rodgers was sacked 36 and 28 times. He is on pace for 60 in 2017.
AP COACH OF THE YEAR
Sean McVay
This time last year, the Rams were also 3-1. In the next 12 weeks, they would go on to win only one more game. For some reason, this year’s 3-1 feels a little different. The youngest head coach in the NFL has changed the culture in Los Angeles.
In 2016, the Rams finished dead last in points, yards and first downs. Under McVay, they are currently the highest-scoring offense and fifth in the league in yards. Everyone assumed Jared Goff would be a bust, and now, in a legit offense, he looks like a franchise guy. Todd Gurley is being used in the passing game, and Tavon Austin is finally running plays that best fit his style and skillset.
After going into Dallas and winning, it will be interesting to see if the Rams can beat Seattle this week, as they have defeated the Seahawks in their last three home matchups. McVay is the clear frontrunner for this award, as he took over a middle school offense, and has the Rams atop the NFC West.
Andy Reid
Andy Reid has a track record of regular season success, so this comes to no surprise. The only undefeated team left, Andy Reid has the Chiefs playing great all-around football. It will be interesting to see if Kareem Hunt and Alex Smith can continue to play essentially flawless football, but Reid has clearly put these men in position for success.
The shovel pass to Travis Kelce seems unstoppable and Reid knows exactly when to use it. Smith and Hunt will most likely come back down to Earth, and Kansas City’s defense is not great, but they are 4-0 and Andy Reid has not mismanaged a game yet with a timeout call.
Jim Caldwell
Last year, the Lions defense ranked 28th in takeaways and 31st in passing touchdowns allowed. Approaching week 5, Detroit is first in takeaways, and fourth in passing touchdowns allowed. They haven’t played scrubs either. These are stats against guys like Matt Ryan, Eli Manning and Carson Palmer. Detroit is one yard away from being undefeated, and if their defense can keep playing like this, the Lions could surprise a lot of people. Great start for Jim Caldwell.
Featured image by Sporting News
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