Final MVP, ROY rankings: QBs on track to take awards home

Another NFL regular season is in the books.

After 17 weeks, both the MVP and Rookie of the Year rankings have significant differences compared to the early-season lists.

Here are our final rankings for the awards.

MVP

5. Alvin Kamara, Saints

There are plenty of ways to show how valuable Kamara is to the Saints, but here are the easiest points: He led the team in rushing yards and touchdowns, as well as in receptions and receiving yards. He also topped the NFL with 21 scrimmage touchdowns, and he didn't even play in Week 17.

Kamara's production helped New Orleans finish the 2020 campaign 12-4 despite playing without some of its biggest stars - including quarterback Drew Brees and wide receiver Michael Thomas - for multiple games. Kamara's versatility and explosiveness were big factors in the Saints being the NFL's fifth-highest scoring offense even as Brees' arm strength took a step back.

4. Derrick Henry, Titans

It may sound weird ranking Henry No. 4 in the MVP race in a year he became the eighth player in NFL history to top 2,000 rushing yards, but it illustrates how quarterback-dominated this award is. It came down to a debate among the best running back in football and this season's top three signal-callers.

Tennessee won eight of 10 games this year when Henry rushed for at least 100 yards - both losses came in contests where the defense allowed at least 360 yards and over 25 first downs. On the other hand, the Titans went 3-3 when the running back didn't reach the 100-yard mark. In one of those wins, though, he still contributed two touchdowns.

The 11-5 Titans needed Henry to succeed, and the star runner's sensational campaign played a huge role in Tennessee winning the AFC South. Henry led the NFL in attempts (378), yards (2,027), and touchdowns (17) on the ground for the second straight season.

3. Josh Allen, Bills

There's a reason Buffalo is starting the postseason with Super Bowl aspirations.

The narrative that Allen might be holding the team back was completely scratched this season, as the third-year signal-caller posted arguably the most successful campaign by a Bills quarterback ever. His jaw-dropping year was crucial in keeping Buffalo competitive despite disappointing outings for its defense and running game.

Allen set single-season Bills records in pass completion percentage (69.2%), passing yards (4,544), and touchdown passes (37), helping Buffalo clinch its first division title since 1995.

2. Patrick Mahomes, Chiefs

OK, Mahomes is human. The quarterback didn't play in the season finale, but he wasn't as stellar in four December games as he was earlier in the season. He threw four interceptions in the month and completed less than 56% of his pass attempts in two of those contests.

Don't let the few late-season flaws fool you. Mahomes finished his fourth NFL campaign completing a career-high 66.3% of his passes for 38 touchdowns and averaging a league-high 316 yards per game. The Chiefs also won 14 of the 15 games he was under center.

Would Mahomes be the MVP frontrunner with those numbers in other seasons? Yes. But when two all-time great quarterbacks post excellent campaigns, nitpicking is the only way to determine a winner - and that's what was done here.

1. Aaron Rodgers, Packers

We needed something to break the tie between Rodgers and Mahomes in the regular season's final stretch, and their performances in December and January provided that.

Granted, Mahomes' numbers are excellent this year, and the Chiefs (14-2) posted a better record than the Packers (13-3). However, Rodgers' essentially flawless season was vital for Green Bay to clinch the NFC's No. 1 seed despite a questionable supporting cast around him. He was more efficient and consistent than Mahomes, even though the Chiefs QB had better offensive weapons.

In his 16th NFL season, Rodgers led the league in completion percentage (70.7), touchdown tosses (48), and passer rating (121.5). His rating in 2020 ranks second all-time, trailing his own mark from 2011.

Honorable mentions: Russell Wilson (Seahawks), Aaron Donald (Rams), Tom Brady (Buccaneers).

Offensive Rookie of the Year

5. J.K. Dobbins, Ravens

Few young running backs in the NFL finished the season hotter than Dobbins, who scored a touchdown in each of the last six games he played - including two in Week 17. He averaged 6.4 yards per rushing attempt in those games and played an important role in Baltimore's late-season playoff push.

Dobbins' early workload in 2020 hurt his case (only 25 carries in the first six weeks), but his overall production earns a spot in the top five. The Ohio State product finished his rookie year with 925 scrimmage yards and nine touchdowns through 15 games.

4. James Robinson, Jaguars

The Jaguars roster has holes all over it, but the running back position isn't one of them. Jacksonville will welcome the first overall pick of the 2021 draft - likely quarterback Trevor Lawrence - with a 1,000-yard runner in its backfield.

Despite missing two games due to injury, Robinson amassed 1,070 rushing yards while adding 344 yards and three scores on 49 catches. With 1,414 total yards, the undrafted rookie out of Illinois State was one of just two rookies ranked in the top 10 for scrimmage yards during the regular season.

3. Jonathan Taylor, Colts

Robinson was considered the best first-year running back for most of the 2020 campaign, but Taylor's late-season greatness - and its relevance to the Colts' playoff run - changed that narrative.

The second-rounder was unstoppable in the schedule's final stretch, scoring eight touchdowns through the last five games while averaging over six yards per carry. His amazing performances included an outing with 253 rushing yards (ninth-most ever in an NFL game) and two touchdowns in a win-and-in Week 17 tilt.

Taylor led all rookie runners with 1,468 scrimmage yards and 12 total touchdowns through 15 games.

2. Justin Jefferson, Vikings

It's hard not ranking Jefferson No. 1 for the Offensive Rookie of the Year.

The first-round wideout broke the single-season receiving yards record by a rookie in the Super Bowl era with 1,400 yards. He also added 88 receptions and seven touchdowns to become just the third rookie receiver in NFL history to post at least 80 catches, 1,200 yards, and seven scores. Anquan Boldin (2003) and Odell Beckham Jr. (2014) are the other two pass-catchers, and both took home the first-year award in those years.

Despite sharing the field with veteran star wide receiver Adam Thielen, Jefferson also topped Minnesota in targets, catches, receiving yards, and yards per reception.

As anticipated, it's tough to argue against Jefferson being No. 1 on this list. However, there might be a first-year offensive player who was even more impressive than the Vikings receiver.

1. Justin Herbert, Chargers

Herbert's freshman campaign has "Offensive Rookie of the Year" written all over it.

Here are some of the NFL rookie records he broke in 2020:

• Most passing touchdowns (31)
• Most total touchdowns (36)
• The youngest player in NFL history with 30 passing TDs (22 years, 299 days)
• Most games with multiple passing touchdowns (10)
• Most games with at least three touchdown passes (6)
• Most pass completions (412)

The signal-caller threw for 4,336 yards through 15 games while completing 66.6% of his passes and posting a 98.3 passer rating, the second-highest rating for a rookie with at least 400 passes.

The sixth overall pick even helped the Chargers earn something unusual for the team: consecutive wins in close games. He managed to string together three game-winning drives from Weeks 14 to 16.

Granted, Jefferson was an amazing rookie - and probably had the edge over Herbert until the last month of the regular season - but this is a receiver-unfriendly award, and Herbert's record-setting campaign makes things even tougher for the wideout.

Honorable mentions: CeeDee Lamb (Cowboys), Antonio Gibson (Washington), Chase Claypool (Steelers).

Defensive Rookie of the Year

5. Kamren Curl, Washington Football Team

Curl is the best rookie defender no one is talking about this year.

Coming out of Arkansas as a seventh-round pick, the safety saw an increased workload after veteran Landon Collins suffered a season-ending injury in Week 7, and he didn't disappoint. Curl finished the campaign with 88 tackles, two sacks, four pass breakups, three interceptions, and one touchdown through 16 games.

Curl was the highest-graded rookie safety during the regular season, according to PFF.

4. Patrick Queen, Ravens

There was a point earlier in the 2020 campaign when Queen looked like a legit contender for the Defensive Player of the Year award. However, he couldn't fix his biggest weaknesses - pass coverage and missed tackles - throughout the season, which created a bigger gap between him and the top names on the list.

Despite the flaws, Queen stood out during most of his games and helped the Ravens' defense since Day 1. He finished the year with a team-high 106 tackles while notching three sacks, two forced fumbles, one interception, and one touchdown.

3. Antoine Winfield Jr., Buccaneers

Winfield wasn't able to play regularly in every game throughout his first NFL season, but his campaign overall was really good. He was outstanding over the first half of the year but inconsistent over the last two months, which prevented him from being a stronger candidate for this award.

Still, the second-round defensive back played well enough to earn a spot in the top three of an unimpressive defensive rookie class. The Minnesota product finished the year with 94 total tackles, six pass breakups, and two forced fumbles through 16 starts.

2. Jeremy Chinn, Panthers

There isn't a single NFL coach who wouldn't welcome Chinn with open arms. After all, how can you say no to a young player who can impact a defensive gameplan in almost every possible way?

Chinn's tackling ability was off the charts for a rookie. He notched two forced fumbles and 117 combined tackles, which led the league among rookies despite missing a game. The second-rounder was also a playmaker in pass coverage (one interception and five pass breakups) and pressuring opposing quarterbacks (one sack and five QB hits). Additionally, his two touchdowns off fumble returns led the NFL.

1. Chase Young, Washington

There shouldn't be a debate regarding the Defensive Rookie of the Year award winner after 17 weeks.

We could argue this race was tied between Young and Chinn until a couple of weeks ago, but the former's outings in the last two games of the season - especially in the head-to-head matchup between them - sealed the deal.

While Chinn was held to eight tackles against Washington in Week 16, Young had four tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovered, and one pass breakup against Carolina to get a clear edge for this award.

No other first-year defender had a greater impact than Young, who was the main piece of Washington's solid defensive line. Young's 7.5 sacks and four forced fumbles through 15 games were crucial for Washington to return to the playoffs after four seasons.

Honorable mentions: Jaylon Johnson (Bears), L'Jarius Sneed (Chiefs), Julian Blackmon (Colts).