NFL awards: Peyton Manning wins MVP, Luke Kuechly DPOY

Kuechly won the Defensive Rookie of the Year award in 2012 and topped that with a stellar 2013 in which he earned his first Pro Bowl appearance. The former Boston College player had 156 combined tackles this season -- 93 total, 63 assisted -- to go with two sacks and four interceptions.

There’s a legitimate case to made that the second-year linebacker was the team’s MVP, which is impressive considering quarterback Cam Newton was in the league MVP discussion. Both were taken in back-to-back drafts in the first round and are the faces of their respective units. While Newton is the literal quarterback of the offense, Kuechley certainly served as the lead man on defense.

Instead of shying away from the challenge, Rivers elevated his game. When the regular season had ended, his numbers were staggering. However, they seemed to be lost in the swirling adulation for Peyton Manning, who posted a record-breaking year in 2013 after being named the top comeback player in 2012. Rivers threw for 4,478 yards, 32 touchdowns and 11 interceptions, all while completing a remarkable 69.5 percent of his passes and making the Pro Bowl.

Was it a true comeback? Maybe not, but his return to the NFL elite embodied what the award was made for.