The NFL regular season is officially over, and we have narrowed the teams down to 14, seven in each league. With us finally getting to the end of a rough season and rough year overall it is time to look back at the most valuable player’s over the past season. Last week we looked at the biggest disappointment on each team and this week we are completely changing directions with some choices being obvious and others not so much.
Valuable has different meaning to different people and this list is no different. For some teams the value came in being productive in limited appearances, others it means being flexible, and some it just meant being the best player. As always, if you disagree then feel free to comment as to why I made a foolish choice, but without further ado here is the final power rankings of the 2020 regular season.
Rank Kansas City Chiefs (14-2)
1 Prev. (1 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 38-21 L against Los Angeles Chargers
Team MVP: Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes was the best player on the best team in the NFL and he is one of the top candidates for league MVP, so of course he is team MVP. He has 4,740 yards on the season, 38 passing touchdowns and six interceptions. Then on the ground he added 308 yards and two touchdowns to put him right in the mix for MVP. No matter whether he wins that or not, he put together another great season and led this great team to the number one seed in the AFC. The goal will be the exact same for the Chiefs as it was last season and that is to win the Super Bowl and with one of the best quarterbacks in the game to go along with one of the best teams, it is entirely possible that is what we see.
Rank Green Bay Packers (13-3)
2 Prev. (2 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 35-16 W against Chicago
Team MVP: Aaron Rodgers
In my opinion Rodgers is the choice for MVP so making him the team MVP only makes sense. He had a 70.7 completion percentage to go along with 48 touchdowns to only five touchdowns. He may have only had 4,299 yards (like that’s bad), but he helped lead the team to becoming the top scoring offense in the league. Rodgers won MVP in 2011 and that was his only time winning the award, but this season he was better in almost every category which includes TD% at 9.1 and INT% at 1.0. He also added three touchdowns on the ground to put his total over 50 at 51, so while he may have one of the best receivers in the game in Adams, Rodgers has to win the award.
Rank Buffalo Bills (13-3)
3 Prev. (3 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 56-26 W against Miami
Team MVP: Josh Allen
Josh Allen is in consideration for league MVP so of course he is going to be the team MVP. Entering the season, the Bills were hoping to see a similar improvement of Allen that he took from year one to year two. That is exactly what happened with him and more, he took a tremendous leap and led the Bills to the two seed. The biggest improvement came in his completion percentage where he jumped from 58.8 in 2019 to 69.2 in 2020. He also had other improvements such as TD passes to 37 and yards which went to 4,544 passing yards. Then we look at his rushing game and he went for 421 yards and eight touchdowns as well as one receiving touchdown for a total of 46 touchdowns. Allen may not win the MVP, but he has proven he is the future of the Bills and they are in good hands.
Rank Baltimore Ravens (11-5)
4 Prev. (4 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 38-3 W against Cincinnati
Team MVP: Orlando Brown Jr.
Where is Lamar Jackson, well, the last couple of weeks he turned up his play to the 2019 MVP level, but this has to go to the lineman. The Ravens recently re-signed left tackle Ronnie Stanley and the left side was locked up, until week nine. Stanley played a total of six games, although he played a quarter of the sixth game due to a season ending injury. Orlando Brown then switched from the right side to the left to take the place of the all-pro. Brown played left tackle in college, so he was used to that side, but filling in for an all-pro is never easy. Brown filled in nicely and by the final weeks of the season he was looking like one of the best linemen in the league. Brown may not have been the best player on the team all season, but when speaking value, it would be hard to argue what he brought.
Rank New Orleans Saints (12-4)
5 Prev. (6 ↑1)
Week 17 Result: 33-7 W against Los Angeles Rams
Team MVP: Trey Hendrickson
The Saints were a team for such a long time that was strictly built around offense, but the defense was never really there. With Brees getting older and nearing retirement, the time to win a championship is drawing to a close and the thing they needed was a defense. This season they got that they started off rough but ended ranked fifth in points allowed, fifth in the pass and, fourth in the run. One of their best players in that aspect was defensive end Hendrickson who led the team with 13.5 sacks, 12 tackles for losses and 25 QB hits. The toughest part of naming him MVP is that this was really his only impact because other than that he had a total of 25 tackles. Hendrickson made a large enough impact in the pass rush game in only playing 53 percent of snaps that he deserves team MVP.
Rank Seattle Seahawks (12-4)
6 Prev. (5 ↓1)
Week 17 Result: 26-23 W against San Francisco
Team MVP: Russell Wilson
It helps when you have two great receivers such as the Seahawks do, but Wilson has been consistently great in his career and this is no different. Sure, there were his downfalls this season and that has been what has kept him out of the league MVP race, but he has still been the team MVP. Wilson led the team to a 12-4 record, and he had 4,212 yards to go along with 40 TDs and 13 interceptions. By the end of the season his play had started to slip, but it was still good enough to get victories and get them into the playoffs. Going into the playoffs though they will need the early season Wilson rather than the later season if they want a chance to make a Super Bowl run.
Rank Tampa Bay Buccaneers (11-5)
7 Prev. (8 ↑1)
Week 17 Result: 44-27 W against Atlanta
Team MVP: Devin White
The Buccaneers made the playoffs for the first time since 2007 and while it would seem like it was all the offense that made that possible, the defense was also a huge part of that. And who was the leader of that defense, Devin White. White may not be the best linebacker in pass coverage, but he was great at rushing the passer and slowing down the run game. White led the team with 140 tackles and 15 tackles for losses while also adding 16 QB hits and nine sacks. White was a force on the defensive side all season long and should continue to do that come playoff time and help the Bucs attempt to get their first playoff win in over a decade.
Rank Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4)
8 Prev. (7 ↓1)
Week 17 Result: 24-22 L against Cleveland
Team MVP: T.J. Watt
Watt led the league in sacks this season with 15 and before the injury to Bud Dupree, they combined for one of the best pass-rushing duos in the league. Dupree had eight sacks when he got injured and they made it almost impossible to get a clean pass off, but even after Dupree was out, Watt continued to be dangerous off the edge. Watt also added 10 tackles for loss and 23 QB hits in his great season and he was the leader of the front seven that helped carry them to the playoffs. With the way the offense has been playing, they are going to need a DPOY effort in order to make a deep playoff run.
Rank Indianapolis Colts (11-5)
9 Prev. (11 ↑2)
Week 17 Result: 28-14 W against Jacksonville
Team MVP: DeForest Buckner
Over the offseason the Colts made a couple of moves to make this a playoff team once again, these moves included adding Philip Rivers on the offense and trading for Buckner on the defensive side. Buckner was the piece in the middle of the line they needed to take them from being a good defense to an elite defense. Buckner added 9.5 sacks on the season to go along with two forced fumbles, 10 tackles for losses and 26 QB hits. Buckner was a huge force in both the pass and the run game, and he has helped make things easier for the linebackers Leonard and Walker by eating up double teams. The trade helped pay immediate dividends as well since the Colts have found themselves in the playoffs, the next step is to win a playoff game.
Rank Tennessee Titans (11-5)
10 Prev. (10 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 41-38 W against Houston
Team MVP: Derrick Henry
Was there any doubt that Henry was going to win the team MVP, not only is he the team MVP, but he is also in the race for season MVP. Henry became only the eighth player in NFL history to amass over 2,000 rushing yards when he got a total of 2,027 yards to go along with 17 touchdowns. Henry was the key to their offensive success all season long and he will continue to be that guy in the playoffs. There really isn’t much we can say about Henry that hasn’t already been said, but Henry is a force of destruction and he has been making his way all through the NFL since he entered the league. The scariest thing is, he has only been getting better and if that continues next season then we could see many records broken.
Rank Cleveland Browns (11-5)
11 Prev. (12 ↑1)
Week 17 Result: 24-22 W against Pittsburgh
Team MVP: Jack Conklin
Conklin was one of the big offseason additions for the Browns entering the season and he made an immediate impact on the line. Conklin made a huge impact in both the pass and the run game, helping open holes in the run game for Chubb and Hunt. The Browns overall had a very good offensive line, maybe the best in the league, and the new addition was a great asset to add to the team. Conklin allowed just 15 total pressures all season long which led to two sacks and he also only had two penalties all season long. He was easily one of the best offensive linemen through the course of the season and him, along with the rest of the line could lead them to a playoff victory.
Rank Los Angeles Rams (10-6)
12 Prev. (14 ↑2)
Week 17 Result: 18-7 W against Arizona
Team MVP: Aaron Donald
Donald has been the best defensive tackle in the league for many years now, and this season he led tackles in almost every significant category. He had 13.5 sacks, 14 tackles for losses, and 26 QB hits and he was the most disruptive force for the top defense in the league. When you have a defensive tackle, who plays like a defensive end and outside linebacker but can also stuff the run from the middle, then you know you have something special. The Rams have the best statistical defense in the league and that is thanks to Donald being there in the middle every single play. Although he probably will not win, Donald is in serious consideration for defensive player of the year, so it only makes sense that he will win the team award as well.
Rank Miami Dolphins (10-6)
13 Prev. (9 ↓4)
Week 17 Result: 56-26 L against Buffalo
Team MVP: Xavien Howard
The Dolphins defense may not have been the best at limiting opposing teams to yards, but they were a top ten defense when it came to points allowed. Now the final game of the season exacerbated the issue by allowing 56 points, but the Dolphins defense for the most part was very good at limiting points. One of the main reasons they were good at slowing down opposing offenses is because they forced turnovers as well as any team and Howard was the leader at forcing turnovers. Howard led the league and team with 10 interceptions and 20 passes defended, while also holding opponents to a 51.5 completion percentage. Howard was easily the leader of the defense and one of the main reasons they ended up making the playoffs.
Rank Arizona Cardinals (8-8)
14 Prev. (15 ↑1)
Week 17 Result: 18-7 L against Los Angeles Rams
Team MVP: DeAndre Hopkins
Kyler Murray was having a great season in the first half and then something happened where while he was still good, he was no longer playing at the MVP level. One player who never stopped bringing their level of production was Hopkins. What else was really expected when you trade for one of the top receivers in the game, but Hopkins led the team with 115 receptions, 1,407 receiving yards, and six touchdowns (tied with Christian Kirk). Having Hopkins on the outside elevated this offense to the next level and they almost made the playoffs, narrowly missing it, but with Murray only growing as a player along with having one of the top receivers in the game, they should be there very soon.
Rank Washington Football Team (7-9)
15 Prev. (20 ↑5)
Week 17 Result: 20-14 W against Philadelphia
Team MVP: Antonio Gibson
You would think that someone from the defense would win the MVP for Washington as that was the best part of their team and usually that would be correct. This is an exception though because their rookie running back was really one of the main reasons their offense was decent. Sure, Terry McLaurin may have had over 1,000 receiving yards, but Gibson was their scorer. Gibson ended up with 795 rushing yards and 247 receiving yards to go along with 11 touchdowns. Gibson kept the offense rolling in games that they maybe should not have been in and he is what led their offense to becoming division winners. The defense overall was the team MVP, but for single player the rookie running back gets it.
Rank Chicago Bears (8-8)
16 Prev. (13 ↓3)
Week 17 Result: 35-16 L against Green Bay
Team MVP: Roquan Smith
Until the final couple of weeks in the season when the offense finally started to turn things on, the defense was the reason why the Bears were winning. While the defense had more than one great player, the best out of them was linebackers Roquan Smith. Smith did everything you want out of your inside linebackers, leading the team in tackles (139) and tackles for losses (18). Smith also added four sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and seven passes defended. On a defense full of good players, Smith really was the player who did everything, and he was the anchor in the middle of the defense they needed to make the playoffs. Let’s see if his play can translate into playoff success for the Bears.
Rank Las Vegas Raiders
17 Prev. (16 ↓1)
Week 17 Result: 32-31 W against Denver
Team MVP: Darren Waller
The Raiders were picked as a possible playoff team with the newly expanded playoff system and though that did not end up happening, Darren Waller put together a great season. Their first-round draft pick Henry Ruggs did not have the type of production that they needed out of that high of a pick, but luckily, they had one of the most reliable tight ends in the league to make up for any kind of lack of production. Waller was the guy they went to whenever they needed a catch and he ended up leading the team with 107 receptions, 1,196 yards, and nine touchdowns. Derek Carr also put up a very good season, but that was in large part to having the reliable tight end in Waller to throw too and he was a large reason why the pass offense was productive. Waller has consistently been their best receiver for the last two seasons, and he should continue this trend in the upcoming seasons.
Rank Minnesota Vikings (7-9)
18 Prev. (17 ↓1)
Week 17 Result: 37-35 W against Detroit
Team MVP: Dalvin Cook
Midway through the season there were legitimate talks about Dalvin Cook being in the MVP conversation. While those talks soon disappeared due to others great performances it is pretty clear that he was the best and most valuable player for the Vikings. Cook was on a roll through his first nine games with 1,069 yards to go along with 13 touchdowns and while his production did slow down a little bit over his final five games, he still ended with 1,557 yards and 16 touchdowns. Cook also added 361 receiving yards to go with one touchdown to end the season with 1,918 yards from scrimmage and 17 touchdowns. Cook was what kept this team going when their offense was struggling, and he easily deserves the team MVP award.
Rank Los Angeles Chargers (7-9)
19 Prev. (23 ↑4)
Week 17 Result: 38-21 W against Kansas City
Team MVP: Justin Herbert
When Herbert was drafted it was not meant to lead to an immediate starting gig and that is what happened. While he could have, no preseason meant he was starting the season on the bench, but then an unforeseen event happened that placed him into the starting role in only the second game of the season. That game he threw for over 300 yards and though the team lost in the end, that was good enough to earn the starting spot. That starting spot stayed with him all season long and he earned it, setting the rookie touchdown record with 31 passing TDs. Herbert proved that he is the future of the franchise and the season ended on a strong note with four straight wins. If the team can translate this over to next season along with Herbert’s level of play, then the Chargers could potentially find themselves back in the playoffs.
Rank San Francisco 49ers (6-10)
20 Prev. (18 ↓2)
Week 17 Result: 26-23 L against Seattle
Team MVP: Fred Warner
The 49ers defense dealt with numerous injuries this season including their biggest playmaker on the line in Nick Bosa. Bosa was just one of the big-name injuries and because of that they needed one player who could provide that presence and Fred Warner became that guy. Obviously with the difference in position Warner was going to provide a different presence, one that did not include sacks, but he was a force. Warner led the team in tackles with 125 and interceptions with two, he also added six passes defended, one forced fumble, and five tackles for losses. Warner was also much better in pass coverage this season and had a lower missed tackle percentage. The team as a whole may have underperformed, but Warner showed up in a big way.
Rank New York Giants (6-10)
21 Prev. (22 ↑1)
Week 17 Result: 23-19 W against Dallas
Team MVP: Blake Martinez
Tackles may not be the most reliable stat when determining who is the best player on a defense because people have different roles and more times than not an inside linebacker is going to lead the team, but with Blake Martinez it shows his value. This is Martinez’s fourth straight season with over 140 tackles and this one has been just as good as the others. Martinez may struggle in pass coverage, but he did make some strides this season and collected one interception as well as defending five passes. Martinez joined the Giants this offseason and his presence paid immediate dividends as the Giants ended the season with a top 10 defense in points allowed and that was in large part thanks to the anchor in the middle.
Rank New England Patriots (7-9)
22 Prev. (21 ↓1)
Week 17 Result: 28-14 W against New York Jets
Team MVP: J.C. Jackson
For the past couple of seasons, it has been Stephon Gilmore, this season the best corner on the Pats was J.C. Jackson. Gilmore has built up a reputation and that is why people do not throw to his side as much but throwing to Jackson’s side was not any better this year. Jackson was good last season, and he has always been a ball magnet, but this season he put up nine interceptions, good for second in the league. Not only was Jackson great at taking the ball away but he also added 14 passes defended, which just made it that much harder to throw against the Pats. Tackling may not be a strong suit, but that is not what is expected, he is expected to slow down the pass game and this season he was the best on the Pats.
Rank Dallas Cowboys (6-10)
23 Prev. (19 ↓4)
Week 17 Result: 23-19 L against New York Giants
Team MVP: Amari Cooper
The Cowboys offense had to be great because the defense was maybe the farthest thing from it, and for the most part they were, at least when Dak was in. It’s weird to think that Dak only ended up playing five games and still finished will only 300 less yards than Dalton who played in 11 games. Not only did Dak get more yards per game, but the offense seemed to run smoother under Dak. This included their number one receiver Amari Cooper who had four games with over 80 receiving yards in the first five games. Cooper didn’t necessarily disappear after Prescott got hurt but his production went down. Even with all of that he was still the top option in the pass game, and he kept the offense rolling when they weren’t doing great. Cooper already has a long-term contract, so now with Dak back (hopefully) he should see some better production once again.
Rank Carolina Panthers (5-11)
24 Prev. (24 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 33-7 L against New Orleans
Team MVP: Robby Anderson
D.J. Moore emerged last season as the number one option, gaining over 1,000 receiving yards and there was almost no doubt that was going to be the same this season. What wasn’t certain was that they were going to add another 1,000-yard receiver in Robby Anderson. Anderson had never reached 1,000 yards previously, but he was coming off a good season for the Jets and he translated that going into Carolina. Anderson set season highs for himself in many categories including: yards (1,096), receptions (95), and catch percentage (69.9%). Anderson made this team an even bigger threat in the pass game and now with Moore and Anderson to go along with the return of McCaffrey, this offense should be very dangerous. x
Rank Denver Broncos (5-11)
25 Prev. (25 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 32-31 L against Las Vegas
Team MVP: Justin Simmons
Simmons signed a one-year deal with the Broncos last season to remain in the team and he had a great season, almost equaled if not equaled his 2019 output. Simmons may have been a little weaker in the pass game this season, but his play was enough to earn him a healthy free agent contract, whether it be with the Broncos or someone else. Simmons was third on the team with 96 tackles but led the team with five interceptions and nine passes defended. The Broncos defense struggled at times this season and that was every position, but Simmons was their most consistent player and is definitely someone they would love to retain with a fully healthy squad.
Rank Detroit Lions (5-11)
26 Prev. (26 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 37-35 L against Minnesota
Team MVP: Marvin Jones
Jones stepped up immensely starting in week seven and that was when Kenny Golladay was still playing. However, Golladay was only playing for one more week until his season was finished after only playing five games. This meant that Stafford was left without a number one receiver until Jones saw the opportunity and took it. Jones was once the top option for Stafford but then Golladay took it in 2018 and Jones fell down to second option. Falling to second option he was still putting up decent numbers, but he was not putting up the numbers of the number one he once was. It was due to injury, but he nabbed that spot this year and led the team with 978 receiving yards and nine touchdowns. Jones is now an unrestricted free agent and with the season he had almost any team would take them for their team.
Rank Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1)
27 Prev. (27 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 38-3 L against Baltimore
Team MVP: Jessie Bates III
Not only was Bates the best player on the defensive side for Cincinnati, but he was one of the best safeties in the entire league, if not the best. Traditional stats do not say just how dominant he was, but he was second on the team in combined tackles at 109, first in interceptions at three and first in passes defended at 15. Bates also held opponents to a 54.3 completion percentage as well as a 70.7 passer rating. Bates has consistently been good since his rookie year in 2018, but this may have been his best season yet and he should get accolades to prove it. Bates still has one more year on his rookie contract, so the Bengals have at least one more season with one of the best defensive backs in the league.
Rank Houston Texans (4-12)
28 Prev. (28 ↑2)
Week 17 Result: 41-38 L against Tennessee
Team MVP: Deshaun Watson
If this one wasn’t obvious then I don’t know what to tell you, but no one else on this team even had a shot to win team MVP. This was a team that only won four games with Watson, it is entirely possible that they would be winless if he were not on the team. Watson’s play has gone a little under the radar this season getting national attention, but that is mostly because of the team’s record. If the Texans were fighting at least .500 than Watson would be in conversation for MVP, but since his team is not there, he is not in the conversation. This season Watson has a 70.2 completion percentage, 4,823 yards (most in the league), 33 touchdowns, and seven interceptions. The team may have struggled, but this was Watsons best season in the pros yet and if they get a team around him with his talent, they will be right back in the playoff race.
Rank Atlanta Falcons (4-12)
29 Prev. (29 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 44-27 L against Tampa Bay
Team MVP: Calvin Ridley
For almost the entire 2010s whenever you think of the Falcons one of the first thing that comes to your mind is at least one great receiver. From players such as Roddy White, Tony Gonzalez (okay, he’s a tight end), to Julio Jones, the Falcons have always had that one stud receiver to help Matt Ryan out. Now, for the past three seasons they have had Jones and Calvin Ridley and if Ridley was already great before this season then this is the season he emerged as a superstar. Jones was dealing with injuries this season and he only ended up playing nine games, therefore they needed a new number one receiver and Ridley was that guy. Ridley was the team’s leading receiver and tied for fifth in the league with 1,374 receiving yards to go along with nine touchdowns. Ridley did all of this with only 90 catches and he is what kept the offense rolling when they were struggling, even with him the team went 4-12, imagine what they would have been without him as their star receiver.
Rank Philadelphia Eagles (4-11-1)
30 Prev. (28 ↓2)
Week 17 Result: 20-14 L against Washington
Team MVP: Jason Kelce
In yet another season riddled with injuries, Jason Kelce was the man who was able to stay on the field no matter what he was dealing with. It’s more than fair to say that the Eagles were massive disappointments this season and that may have been mostly due to injuries, but that cannot be the only reason. No matter what the reason was, Jason Kelce was out there ready to go every game. This season the Eagles had a new offensive line seemingly every week, whether it was one different player or more than one, but the one constant was Kelce. Kelce was not only consistent in his ability to stay on the field, but he was also one of the best when it came to doing his job. The Eagles offensive line had huge issues this season, but Kelce anchoring the middle was not one of them and they hope his ability to stay on the field can translate to the rest of the team.
Rank New York Jets (2-14)
31 Prev. (31 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 28-14 L against New England
Team MVP: Marcus Maye
The offense and the defense of the Jets were not good this season and maybe the only consistently good player was safety Marcus Maye. Maye was the do it all man on the defense and put together his best season yet with his most tackles, sacks, forced fumbles, and passes defended. Maye was the big reason on the defense that the Jets were not embarrassed every single game and with everything he was able to do he has earned himself a potentially large contract come free agent time. It would make sense for the Jets to attempt to re-sign Maye going into next season, but with the ability to do everything like he showed this season then he will be a hot commodity come offseason.
Rank Jacksonville Jaguars (1-15)
32 Prev. (32 ⏤)
Week 17 Result: 28-14 L against Indianapolis
Team MVP: James Robinson
Robinson was not a player with a high draft stock and because of that he ended up going undrafted in the 2020 draft. No team wanted to take a chance on him then, but the Jaguars decided to give him an opportunity going into the season, signing him as an undrafted free agent. This season was not an easy one for anybody, but especially for rookies and undrafted rookies due to no preseason. Robinson ended up making the team and earned the starting running back role and he is a big reason they even won a game and stayed in many of their games. Robinson played in all but two games and ended up with 1,070 rushing yards (four 100-yard games) as well as seven touchdowns on the ground. He also added 344 receiving yards and he was the most consistent player on the offensive end. The Jaguars definitely got a steal with picking up Robinson as a UFA.