4-Down Territory: Midseason awards!
Every week in “4-Down Territory,” Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar and Luke Easterling of Bucs Wire and Draft Wire go over the things you need to know about, and the things you need to watch, in the NFL right now. With Week 8 of the 2022 NFL season in the books, there was a lot to cover!
This week, Doug and Luke present their Midseason Awards, because in a 17-game season, “midseason” is whatever you want it to be. Kind of like the Colts’ coaching situation.
Who are the Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year so far?
Who are the Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year?
Who are the NFL’s most underrated players?
And finally, who’s the league MVP at our halfway point?
You can watch this week’s “4-Down Territory” right here:
Offensive and Defensive Players of the Year.
(Jamie Sabau-USA TODAY Sports)
Since the NFL moved to 18 weeks and 17 games in 2021, the halfway point of the season is kind of whatever you want to make it. For the purposes of 4-Down Territory, we’re going to make it right now, so we can get into some midseason awards. We’ll start with our offensive and defensive players of the year.
Doug: On offense, I have to go with Tyreek Hill of the Dolphins. He’s on pace to demolish all kinds of receiving records in an offense where he’s been the absolute force multiplier since Day 1, and he’s been the league’s best and most impactful deep receiver this season despite a quarterback in Tua Tagovailoa who, for all his positive attributes, frequently leaves Hill hanging on those deep shots with average velocity. Hill makes everyone in that offense better, and head coach Mike McDaniel would have to scrap about half of his passing game concepts without Hill on the field.
My defensive player of the year is Micah Parsons of the Cowboys, because there isn’t a thing he can’t do on the field. Whether he’s rushing the passer inside or outside, hitting run gaps, or excelling in occasional coverage, he has become the very model of the modern do-everything defensive player.
Luke: Yeah, I have to take Hill on offense. Aside from just the three touchdown receptions, he’s on pace for perhaps the most prolific season from a wide receiver in NFL history. This offense is obviously a perfect fit for him, and it’s turning him loose in the best ways. Tua is taking full advantage of his explosiveness and ability to separate, and the impact he has on opposing defenses is just mind-boggling.
On defense, I’m taking now-Ravens linebacker Roquan Smith. Speaking of doing everything, he’s sixth in the NFL with 83 tackles, has 2.5 sacks, two interceptions, three pass breakups and four tackles for loss. The Bears should have just paid the man, and Baltimore would be wise to. Honorable mention to Patriots pass rusher Matthew Judon, who leads the NFL with 11.5 sacks, three more than the next guy on the list.
Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Year.
(Stephen Lew-USA TODAY Sports)
Next, we have our offensive and defensive rookies of the year.
Doug: A lot of great candidates here, but I’m going with Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker. All he’s done through the first nine games of Seattle’ season – and getting a late shot as the starter after Rashaad Penny’s broken fibula in early October – is to define Seattle’s offense exactly as Pete Carroll would prefer. Walker didn’t get his first NFL start until Week 6 of the season, and he’s already run 111 times for 570 yards and seven touchdowns. Six of Walker’s seven touchdowns have come in the fourth quarter, and he’s overcome the few dings I saw on his Michigan State tape – an aversion to contact balance, and issues with pass-blocking. Now, he’s as complete a back as you could want.
On defense, I have to go with the one and only Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner. Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen has been everything and more his team could have expected, as we have previously discussed, but Sauce is the boss here. I’m putting Sauce over Woolen because, though Woolen has better interception numbers, Sauce has been on an island more often. The Jets are basically asking him to play that role at a level you’d expect from a three-time All-Pro, and he’s responded magnificently. You could almost have this as a toss-up, but that’s my tiebreaker.
Luke: I hate to keep agreeing with you, but Walker is the pick on offense. After Rashaad Penny went down, Walker made the most of his chance to be the lead back, and has quickly become one of the best backs in the league. I had my doubts about the Seahawks spending a high 2nd-round pick on a running back, but they got an immediate superstar here. Geno Smith is obviously the biggest reason why the Seahawks are defying expectations this season, but Walker is keeping the offense balanced, and opening things up for Smith down the field because opposing defenses have to respect him in the box.
If you’re taking Sauce, I’ll take Woolen. We both loved his traits coming into this draft (how could you not), but I don’t think either of us saw him making this big of an impact this quickly at the next level. The fact that he’s still got so much potential development down the road means he’s probably just scratching the surface right now, and that’s a scary thought for opposing offenses.
Underrated offensive and defensive players.
(Syndication: Arizona Republic)
Who are your most underrated players in the 2022 NFL season? Both offense and defense.
Doug: On offense, it’s Seattle Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith. He’s been talked about a lot nationally as the feel-good story of the year, but I think the Hallmark stuff, while valid, gives him short shrift as a legitimate MVP candidate. Smith has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks this season in all the “degree of difficulty” stuff – efficiency against two-deep coverage, throws past the sticks, completions under pressure – and he’s given the offense a gravitas the Seahawks never had with Russell Wilson, as great as Wilson was at his best. He’s the primary reason this 6-3 team is already one win away from matching its 2021 win total, and there’s nothing about Smith’s play that suggests a fluke. The only question now is when Seattle gives Smith the rich contract extension he’s so obviously earned.
I’m going to cheat and list two underrated defensive players – Philadelphia Eagles cornerbacks Darius Slay and James Bradberry. Philly’s defense has risen this season from 25th in Defensive DVOA in 2021 to second behind the Broncos in 2022, and their outside cornerbacks are the main reason why. Defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon can unleash all his coverages with Slay and Bradberry, because they both excel in everything you want – man, match, and zone, press and off coverage. This season, Slay has allowed an opponent passer rating of 37.2, and Bradberry has allowed an opponent passer rating of 39.8. Add in safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, who leads the league with five interceptions and could just as easily be a third underrated player on this list, and that’s why this defense is cooking with gas.
Luke: I think Smith is the right pick on offense, but for the sake of contrast, I’ll take another quarterback who was given up on too early, and that’s Justin Fields. Sunday’s record-breaking performance against the Dolphins was just a glimpse of what Fields is capable of when he’s got anything close to an adequate supporting cast, and a play-calling plan that makes the most of his rare skill set. Three TD passes, no interceptions, 178 yards and another touchdown on the ground, the most rushing yards in a regular-season game by a quarterback EVER. He’s only going to get better, and the Bears will have plenty of resources to keep building around him next year.
Gardner-Johnson is indeed my pick on defense. Leads the league with five interceptions, and that’s no accident, as the Eagles have deployed him perfectly since stealing him from the Saints for pennies on the dollar. He’s one of the most versatile playmakers in the league on that side of the ball, and clearly the Eagles know how to put him in position to maximize those skills. This defense is scary, and he’s a huge reason why.
Most Valuable Player?
(Denny Medley-USA TODAY Sports)
Finally, who’s your NFL MVP after nine weeks?
Doug: I’ll go with Josh Allen of the Bills. When you factor in his impossible abilities as a passer, and what he brings to the team as a rusher, who gives his team more overall value? Allen didn’t have his best game on Sunday in a loss to the Jets, but let’s set recency bias aside and look at the whole season. Allen is still capable of the occasional exasperating decision, but you name me a coach who wouldn’t trade that for what Allen does bring, and I’ll name you a coach who needs to be replaced.
Luke: I think you could make a strong argument for Tyreek, but I’m taking Geno Smith, for all the reasons you mentioned earlier. Considering what the preseason narrative was around the Seahawks, and even the astronomical expectations for Russell Wilson going to Denver, all Smith did was come in and be that dude. He smoked Drew Lock in their “competition,” beat Wilson to start the season, and has since been a dynamic, efficient playmaker at the game’s most important position. The Seahawks are probably the biggest positive surprise in the league this year among all 32 teams, and Smith’s ability to cut through the noise and get the job done at such a high level has made him as valuable as any player in the league this year.
