The 2016 NFL season began with Tom Brady suspended and polls claiming that almost a third of adults were put off watching games by Colin Kaepernick’s anthem protests. It ends with Tom Brady in a Super Bowl, after playoffs that included the most-watched divisional round game in 20 years. (Oh, and in case you hadn’t heard: nobody listens to polls any more.)

Business as usual, then, for America’s richest sports league? Perhaps not. TV ratings for the season as a whole were still down – even if the NFL insists that such an outcome was expected in an election year. San Diego’s refusal to raise taxes for a new stadium project, furthermore, might just hint at how the league has lost a tiny bit of its lustre.

Let’s not have anybody kidding themselves, though – Super Bowl LI will still be the biggest show in America next Sunday. And it ought to be a compelling one, too, with Brady chasing his record-breaking fifth title, while Matt Ryan seeks a first to validate his own breathtakingly brilliant year.

We’ll be talking plenty about that matchup, though, in the days ahead. For now, let’s take a look back over the year that has been, through the prism of our end-of-season awards.

Most valuable player

It may be the obvious choice, but it’s also the right one. Matt Ryan has taken his game to a new level this year, a fact best illustrated by his scandalous average of 9.3 yards per passing attempt. No quarterback has gone higher since Kurt Warner back in 2000 (and, yes, he won the MVP that year). No starting signal-caller got within a yard of Ryan’s average this season, either. Brady himself finished second in that same category, with an average of 8.2.

Perhaps if Brady had been available for all 16 games, he would have pinched this award for himself. Instead, his absence gave his team-mates an opportunity to illustrate (inadvertently) why he should not win. The ‘Most Valuable Player’, as I interpret those words, should be a player whose team could not have succeeded without him. As phenomenal as Brady was this season, the Patriots still went 3-1 in the games that he missed.

Could I imagine Atlanta doing the same if Ryan had been sidelined? Nope. The Falcons did have some other things going for them – Julio Jones, for a start, although even more significant might have been the fact that they were the only team in the whole league able to start the same five offensive linemen in every game – but their defense ranked 25th out of 32 teams for yards surrendered, and 27th for points. They had to keep scoring at a relentless rate to win games. And, because of Ryan, they did.

Most outstanding player

In the past, I’ve dodged giving out an MVP award in this column, because it is a category that feels like it has to go to a quarterback (quite simply, no other position has the ability to influence a game to the same degree). In general, I prefer the ‘Most Outstanding’ designation – as used by the CFL and NCAA – because it allows recognition of brilliance in any role. So whilst I wanted to recognise Ryan this time around, I am keeping the MOP as well, and giving it to David Johnson.

The Cardinals running back led the NFL with 2,118 yards from scrimmage and 20 touchdowns. He did it behind a patchy offensive line and on despite the fact that opponents were stacking all of their resources against him. Besides demonstrating a rare patience and vision coming out of the backfield, he also caught sideline passes, leapt clean over would-be tacklers and shook others out of their shoes.



For all the (justified) hype around Ezekiel Elliott, Johnson was even better. He might not have been able to drag his team into the postseason, but that doesn’t stop him from being the single most impressive player that I saw in 2016.

Offensive player of the year

Yeah, Johnson again. Another fun fact, in case you still weren’t convinced: he’s only the second player ever, after Marshall Faulk, to rack up 1,200 rushing yards, 800 receiving yards and 20 touchdowns in one season.

Defensive player of the year

JJ Watt’s back injury cleared the way for somebody else to claim this award, but I’m not sure that any player has made an irresistible case. Von Miller was furiously disruptive through the first three months of the season, but faded, like his Broncos team-mates, down the stretch – with no sacks (and only two quarterback hits) in his final four games. When it comes to pass rushers, I find it hard to choose between him, Khalil Mack and Vic Beasley.

So I’ll go in a different direction instead, and give this one to Giants safety Landon Collins. His contributions were not always so eye-catching but the second-year player quietly put together a phenomenally productive year, with 125 tackles, 13 passes defensed and five interceptions.

Playing closer to the line of scrimmage than he had in his rookie season, Collins played his part in the Giants’ improvement from 24th-ranked run defense in 2015 to joint-third this time around. His four sacks were the most recorded by any defensive back, too.

Offensive rookie of the year

In another year, Jordan Howard could have been a very deserving winner. But we all know this is going to one of two Dallas Cowboys.

I suspect Ezekiel Elliott would be the most popular choice. He was the league’s leading rusher, and his consistency was remarkable. After struggling in the season-opening defeat to the Giants, he went on to rush for a minimum of 80 yards in every game that he played. He fell just 195 shy of Eric Dickerson’s rookie record, despite being rested in week 17.

At the same time, though, Elliott was working behind the league’s best run-blocking offensive line. And whilst that same unit did Dak Prescott plenty of favours, I still find the quarterback’s achievements a shade (and it really is only a shade) more impressive.

In part, that simply comes down to his role. It is more rare to see a first-year player excel at quarterback than at tailback, because the mental demands of the job are more intense. The numbers speak to the seamlessness of Prescott’s transition. Both his 104.9 passer rating, and his 0.9 interception percentage were rookie records. And he was only the second player of any experience – after Tom Brady – to throw for more than 3,500 yards and fewer than five interceptions in a season.

Dak Prescott is the 2nd player (1st rookie) in NFL history to have 3,500+ pass yards & fewer than 5 INT in a season (Tom Brady, 2010 & 2016) pic.twitter.com/xjuzuc13xJ — Randall Liu (@RLiuNFL) January 2, 2017

Defensive rookie of the year

Despite missing the first four games through a combination of injury and a contract holdout, Joey Bosa led all rookies with 10.5 sacks. His 17 tackles for a loss were joint-most in the league. Yeah, he was just about worth waiting for.

Coach of the year

Let’s be honest, Bill Belichick is overdue another of these. The man who has led the Patriots to 14 division titles, 11 AFC Championship Games and seven Super Bowls (four of those victorious so far, with an opportunity to make it five next weekend) over the past 16 years has only been recognised three times as Coach of the Year, and not since 2010.

We take for granted that New England will be in contention every year. But would we still do so, if somebody else was at the helm? The Patriots traded away their best pass rusher, Chandler Jones, in the offseason, and an excellent outside linebacker, Jamie Collins, in October. They won two games with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback and another with Jacoby Brissett. They lost Rob Gronkowski to injury and carried right on trampling opponents as they had before.

No other team could handle such disruption so effortlessly. Love him or loathe him, such results speak to Belichick’s leadership above all.

Best plays of the year

In reverse order…

5) I can’t quite believe that I’m putting a punt in my top five plays of the year, but … there’s something serenely beautiful about the Bucs’ three-man effort (OK, the first of those men doesn’t actually contribute, but he’s good for the visuals) to pin New Orleans at their one-yard line.

4) Jameis Winston refuses to be sacked, airs it out for 50 yards instead.

3) One-handed catch dept: Mike Evans’s grab against Atlanta was good, () but Doug Baldwin against San Francisco was even better.

2) Ridiculous body control dept: DeSean Jackson’s grab against Carolina was so improbable that even he didn’t seem to think he’d made it at first. And yet, he might still have been topped by Seattle’s Paul Richardson in the playoffs.

1) Aaron Rodgers does his thing with the game on the line against Dallas. Taken out of context, his 35-yard hook-up with Jared Cook might not be quite as impressive as some of those above. But factor in the playoff setting, the game situation, and the fact that he made the whole thing up in the huddle, and it certainly feels like the iconic play of this season.

Best one-man show

Julio Jones goes off for 300 yards against the Panthers.



Worst one-man show

Ryan Fitzpatrick serves up six interceptions against the Chiefs.

The Jimmy Wang medallion for single-handed success

Jimmy Graham only needed one arm free to bring in a pair of touchdowns against Buffalo.

The ‘Only in Buffalo’ certificate for things that only happen in Buffalo

Yup, that’s a dildo.

Most accurate prophecy

Jeff Fisher, telling his Los Angeles Rams players on Hard Knocks that “I’m not fucking going 7-9, or 8-8, or 9-7.” Instead, he went 4-9 before being fired in December.

Best visual analogy

Fisher again, summing up the Rams’ season as he reaches for his challenge flag … and can’t find it.

Best hat

Cam Newton.

Who wore it better: Cam or the Queen? pic.twitter.com/ZWBBt9iRX0 — Yahoo Sports (@YahooSports) December 20, 2016

Best cleats

Von Miller.

Von Miller's cleats have a picture of himself. pic.twitter.com/EH5mauS2G7 — NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) January 1, 2017

Best dancer

Raiders punter Marquette King.

Worst contract

You probably haven’t heard about this one, but the Houston Texans signed Brock Osweiler to a four-year deal with $37m in guaranteed money.

Most super superfan

Mini Ben McAdoo.

Little Ben McAdoo. Tremendous. Actually that is Peter Costigan, from Wayne, Pa. Complete w/diner menu and Post-it pic.twitter.com/tASrgyOMyM — Jordan Raanan (@JordanRaanan) January 1, 2017

Best retirement letter

Steve Smith Sr informs the commissioner that he will “no longer be antagonizing defensive backs”.

Stat of the season

Bill Belichick could go 0-16 for 41 consecutive seasons and still have a better winning percentage than Gus Bradley. — JJ Zachariason (@LateRoundQB) December 14, 2016

Pick the Playoffs contest

And finally a note for regular readers who participate in our Pick The Playoffs contest: I will be posting the overall standings in the comments section below shortly. Until then, I can tell you there are three people still on a perfect score through the postseason – so hats off to mmmbop86, nbcnfl and ShadowWarrior. Also, the blog where we invite your picks for Super Bowl LI will go up on Saturday 4 February. Please don’t post them here, as I won’t count them!