MVP Debate: Making the Case for Keenum

ROY

Shifting gears, Deshaun Watson and Dalvin Cook looked hands-down the early favorites to run away with the AFC and NFC Rookie of the Year awards, respectively. Tragically, both suffered season-ending injuries that cut short their rookies campaigns prematurely. Despite Watson’s knee injury, his numbers are almost good to still put him in the conversation for ROY. There’s more than a good chance that he ends the year as the league’s top rookie passer. Even after being shut down since week 9, Watson still is among the rookie passing leaders, having thrown for 1,699 yards and 19 touchdowns. Before landing on the injured reserve list, Watson had been well on his way to rewriting the rookie record books. Watson had been putting together a remarkable rookie season and it would not be out of the likelihood for him to come away with the AFC’s ROY award.

If Watson does not end up as the AFC ROY, it almost assuredly will end up in the hands of Kansas City Chiefs’ running back, Kareem Hunt or the Jacksonville Jaguars’ Leonard Fournette. Hunt began the year like gangbusters and broke onto the scene in week 1 with his breakout 246 all-purpose yards and three touchdowns against the Patriots. He followed that up with stellar performances against the Eagles and Chargers, putting up games of 109 yards and two touchdowns and 183 yards and a touchdown. Hunt added back-to-back 100-yard rushing games but has since failed to cross the century mark, as the Chiefs have seemingly imploded after their hot start, with Hunt becoming the victim of poor quarterback play. The talent is still there for Hunt to finish strong.

While Hunt made a name for himself early, Fournette has steadily put together solid outing after solid outing. If Alex Smith’s great quarterback early, helped open running lanes up for Hunt, then it has been Fournette’s reputation as a strong rusher in the backfield that has opened things up for Blake Bortles under center. Even with defenses trying to capitalize on bottling him up at the line of scrimmage, Fournette has proven why he was such a heralded back coming out of college. Through the first 12 weeks of his rookie season, Fournette has amassed four 100-yard rushing performances. Including rushing for 181 yards and two touchdowns versus the Steelers in week 5. Though he has been slowed by injuries over recent weeks, there is little reason to believe that he won’t pick it back up before season’s end, as he gets back to 100 percent.

JuJu Smith-Schuster has shown why there was cause for alarm from Steelers’ wideout, Martavis Bryant when Pittsburgh drafted Smith-Schuster in the second round. Since week 1, Smith-Schuster has only gotten better as his rapport with Ben Roethlisberger has grown as he settles into the Steelers’ offense. By week 8, Bryant’s insecurities had gotten the best of him as he talked his way out of the lineup via Twitter and gave Smith-Schuster an opportunity to showcase his talents.

Smith-Schuster took full advantage and erupted with a seven-catch, 193-yard, and one touchdown performance. Not much looked to be standing in Smith-Schuster’s way, even in an offense where he has to share targets with Antonio Brown when he was slowed down by a hamstring injury. Smith-Schuster has already recorded 568 yards receiving with five touchdowns and will be looking to get back on the field and finish strong. If he is able to build off his week 8 performance, Smith-Schuster could be on his way to the AFC ROY award.

On the other side of the ball, Steelers’ linebacker, T.J. Watt, Cincinnati Bengals’ defensive end, Carl Lawson and Buffalo Bills’ cornerback, TreDavious White, could also be in the mix for AFC ROY honors, though their resumes don’t carry quite the same panache as their offensive counterparts.

Though Watson may have done enough for his numbers to stand on their own and earn him AFC ROY honors, Dalvin Cook’s will not, now that running back, Alvin Kamara has come alive for the Saints. Much like the Atlanta Falcons’ tandem of Davonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman, Ingram and Kamara give the Saints a very similar one-two combination. Kamara has become more than just Ingram’s change of pace back. He is a dual-threat coming out of the backfield, creating mismatches for defenses and causing defensive coordinators all kinds of frustration trying to stop and slow him down. Kamara has flashed big-play ability with 10 plays of 20 yards or more.

Through 12 weeks of he has 1,094 total yards from scrimmage, scoring nine times, with five games of more than 100 yards from scrimmage. Kamara has proven that he can compete at the NFL’s highest level and is more than just a flash in the pan. As long as he can avoid the injury report and continue playing at this level of production, Kamara should be the favorite to win NFC ROY.

Outside of Kamara in the NFC, the field for ROY is rather slim. Many of the 2017 rookie class have done very little to separate themselves and emerge as stars on the national stage. The Panthers’ running back, Christian McCaffery, whom many had predicted to be a breakout candidate this year, is finally beginning to show signs of life after a slow start. He has yet to do enough to challenge Kamara for a shot at ROY honors. Giants’ tight end, Evan Engram has stepped up in a big way for New York, becoming the top receiving option in an offense with a receiving corps that has been devastated by injuries. Yet, Engram is lacking consistent production. He has the tools to be a big-time, major contributor at the NFL level, but just isn’t there yet.

Like Engram, Saints’ wideout, Cooper Kupp, has the ability to contribute at the NFL level and has definite staying power, but has not done enough to merit ROY consideration. Detroit Lions’ wide receiver, Kenny Golladay, introduced himself to the world with his eye-popping performance in week 1. If not for a hamstring injury that derailed most of his rookie season and Golladay might very well have been in the ROY conversation.

Drafted with the second overall pick in the 2017 draft by the Chicago Bears, Mitchell Trubisky’s first year under center has been utterly tragic and anything but an epiphany. He’s shown very little growth through after 12 weeks and isn’t even on the ROY radar. An offensive lineman has never been named ROY and that isn’t likely to change this year. However, Vikings’ center, Pat Elflein has been impenetrable up front, giving up only one sack through his first eight games. He has done nothing to take himself out of the discussion aside from playing one of the least sexy positions in all of sports. His play this year may turn enough heads with the awards committee to pave the way for future offensive linemen to take home the ROY award in years to come.