NFL MVP, awards picks through four games: Ranking candidates

Somehow, we’re closing in on completing the first quarter of the NFL season. It still feels like we’re just getting to know teams and get a sense of which ones are exceeding or failing to live up to their preseason expectations, but with every franchise having played four games, we’ve gotten a few hundred snaps from just about every significant starter.

As a result, this is the day for us to begin awards season by handing out nods for the first quarter of the campaign. The math isn’t quite as smooth anymore with the league moving to a 17-game schedule, but it’s helpful to take a look at the first month and get a sense of what we’ve actually seen. These votes are strictly my picks for what I’ve seen as opposed to who I think the voters will select when the season ends.

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It’s also good for context when we look back later and see how much has changed. My Defensive Rookie of the Year pick at this time last year was Patriots cornerback Christian Gonzalez, who missed the rest of the season with a torn labrum in his shoulder. Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert was third in the MVP race, while Dolphins passer Tua Tagovailoa was my MVP pick. A lot can happen between the beginning of October and the end of January.

With that in mind, I’ll hand out votes for seven awards, starting with Coach of the Year and ending with Most Valuable Player. Those were the two most difficult awards to give out, for two very different reasons:

Jump to an award:
MVP | Best coach
OROY | DROY
OPOY | DPOY
Comeback Player

Coach of the Year

With just four games down, it’s almost impossible for coaches to separate from the pack. Wins and losses aren’t everything, but the team’s record obviously is the biggest factor in determining who wins this award, and nine teams are 3-1 or 4-0. Most of those coaches are contenders here. In narrowing it down to three, I considered the quality of the competition these teams have played and the expected performance of the roster each coach has been playing with so far.