The Professional Football Writers Association (PFWA) announced its Most Valuable Player, Defensive Player of the Year and Offensive Player of the Year awards on Wednesday. After releasing its All-NFL team earlier in the week, the PFWA had few surprises among the main award winners.
Aaron Rodgers tops J.J. Watt for PFWA MVP
Watt was named Defensive Player of the Year and DeMarco Murray was selected as the Offensive Player of the Year.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers received MVP honors after throwing 38 touchdowns and just five interceptions this season, ranking second in the league with a passer rating of 112.2. Rodgers also tied a franchise record with eight 300-yard passing games this season. This is the second time the PFWA has tabbed Rodgers as MVP, also selecting him in 2011.
Houston Texans defensive end J.J. Watt, who many considered a strong MVP candidate, was the easy choice for Defensive Player of the Year. Watt had one of the most dominant defensive seasons in recent memory, finishing with 20.5 sacks, 78 tackles, four forced fumbles and an interception. Watt also had five total touchdowns, including three on the offensive side of the ball. This is the second PFWA Defensive Player of the Year Award for Watt (also in 2012), who joined Bruce Smith (1993, 1996) and Ray Lewis (2000, 2003) as the only players to win the award twice.
Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray, the league's leading rusher, was named the Offensive Player of the Year after setting the Cowboys' single-season rushing record with 1,845 yards. He also tied for the NFL lead in rushing touchdowns (13) and went for more than 100 yards rushing in a league-high 12 of 16 games during the regular season. Murray is the first Cowboys player to win the award since Emmitt Smith in 1993.
The PFWA awards are usually a good precursor for the voting of the Associated Press awards, which are widely recognized as the league’s official honors. The AP awards will be announced at a ceremony on Jan. 31.
The PFWA also announced its rookie awards on Tuesday, with New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. named the Rookie of the Year as well as the Offensive Rookie of the Year. Beckham missed the first four games of the season, but still finished with 91 catches for 1,305 yards and 12 touchdowns in 12 games. His 108.8 yards per game average was the highest mark by a rookie in NFL history.
St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald was chosen as the 2014 Defensive Rookie of the Year. Donald led NFL rookies with nine sacks and was the highest-rated defensive tackle in the league, according to Pro Football Focus' grading system.
Here is the complete All-Rookie team from the PFWA:
Offense
QB - Teddy Bridgewater, Minnesota Vikings
RB - Jeremy Hill, Cincinnati Bengals; Tre Mason, St. Louis Rams
WR - Odell Beckham Jr., New York Giants; Mike Evans, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
TE - Jace Amaro, New York Jets
C - Corey Linsley, Green Bay Packers
G - Joel Bitonio, Cleveland Browns; Zack Martin, Dallas Cowboys
T - Taylor Lewan, Tennessee Titans; Ja'Wuan James, Miami Dolphins
Defense
DL - Aaron Donald, St. Louis Rams; Timmy Jernigan, Baltimore Ravens; Kony Ealy, Carolina Panthers; Justin Ellis, Oakland Raiders
LB - Chris Borland, San Francisco 49ers; Khalil Mack, Oakland Raiders; C.J. Mosley, Baltimore Ravens
CB - Kyle Fuller, Chicago Bears; E.J. Gaines, St. Louis Rams
S - Deone Bucannon, Arizona Cardinals; Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, Green Bay Packers
Special Teams
PK - Cody Parkey, Philadelphia Eagles
P - Pat O'Donnell, Chicago Bears
KR - Jarvis Landry, Miami Dolphins
PR - De'Anthony Thomas, Kansas City Chiefs
ST - Trey Burton, Philadelphia Eagles
See More:
