The NFL Honors is an annual ceremony at the end of every season that recognizes the most prolific players across the league. Categories like Most Valuable Player, Offensive Player of the Year, and Defensive Player of the Year are discussed religiously.

But do these awards accurately reflect who is the best?

The last few seasons, some categories have been awarded to questionable players who do not accurately represent the title given. Does this season’s awards accurately reflect who is, for example, the most valuable player? 

Most Valuable Player: Lamar Jackson, Baltimore Ravens QB

The Associated Press voted correctly for this award. Lamar Jackson was the clear favorite for the title ever since the Ravens defeated the 49ers by 14 points, propelling him past San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy. Jackson threw for over 3600 yards and ran for over 800. He had a touchdown to interception ratio of 24:7 and ranked fourth in QB rating with a score of 64.7. Jackson led the Ravens to a 13-4 season, claiming the top spot in the AFC.

Offensive Player of the Year: Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco 49ers RB

Since the MVP does not typically win the category for what side of the ball they play on, AP voters named the right player as Offensive Player of the Year. McCaffrey had a legendary season for a running back in a league where passing wins games. He ran for 1459 yards, almost 300 more than the next best rusher. McCaffrey scored 14 touchdowns and only lost two fumbles. He played an integral part of the 49ers offense, assisting the team to the path to Super Bowl LVIII. 

Defensive Player of the Year: Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns DE

There was an obvious choice for the award, and Myles Garrett was not the one. Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker TJ Watt should have won Defensive Player of the Year. Comparing the two, any reasonable person would vote for Watt to win the award. Watt recorded 19 sacks compared to Garrett’s 14. Watt had two more tackles for a loss, five more passes defended, one more interception, two more fumble recoveries, and one more touchdown. Watt also obtained a whopping 26 more tackles than Garrett did. The discrepancy between the two players is clear, and the fact that Garrett won fully displays why a lot of fans do not respect the awards anymore. 

Coach of the Year: Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Once again, the AP voters select the wrong person to win the award. The other coaches nominated for this award were Baltimore’s John Harbaugh, San Francisco’s Kyle Shanahan, Houston’s DeMeco Ryans, and Detroit’s Dan Campbell. Out of all the coaches nominated for the award, Stefanski should have been last. Both Harbaugh and Shanahan led their teams to the number one spot in their respective conferences. Ryans took the Texans from 3-13-1 in 2022 to 10-7 and the divisional round in 2023. Campbell led the playoff cursed Lions to their first wins in the postseason since 1992. Yes, Stefanski coached the Browns to the 5-seed after going 7-10 the season before, but compared to the other coaches, his achievement looks lackluster. This award deserved to go to DeMeco Ryans, who completely changed the trajectory of the Houston Texas organization from rebuilding to competitor.

The AP voters seem to have a tough time choosing who should obviously win awards. While they did correctly name other titles to the right players, such as Comeback Player of the Year in Joe Flacco and Offensive Rookie of the Year in CJ Stroud, some of the awards were given to those who clearly did not deserve them. The 2023 season marks another year of fans’ outrage.