Inside The Vikings

No Vikings Players or Coaches are Finalists for AP Awards

Ivan Pace Jr., Brian Flores, and Danielle Hunter all have cases as snubs from these selections.
Will Ragatz|
No Vikings Players or Coaches are Finalists for AP Awards
No Vikings Players or Coaches are Finalists for AP Awards

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The NFL and Associated Press announced the finalists for this year's major awards on Thursday, the winners of which will be announced during the NFL Honors show on February 8th. No Vikings players or coaches made the cut.

These are the finalists:

MVP

  • Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills
  • Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
  • Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
  • Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys
  • Brock Purdy, QB, San Francisco 49ers

Offensive Player of the Year

  • Tyreek Hill, WR, Miami Dolphins
  • Lamar Jackson, QB, Baltimore Ravens
  • CeeDee Lamb, WR, Dallas Cowboys
  • Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers
  • Dak Prescott, QB, Dallas Cowboys

Defensive Player of the Year

  • Daron Bland, CB, Dallas Cowboys
  • Maxx Crosby, DE, Las Vegas Raiders
  • Myles Garrett, DE, Cleveland Browns
  • Micah Parsons, LB, Dallas Cowboys
  • T.J. Watt, LB, Pittsburgh Steelers

Offensive Rookie of the Year

  • Jahmyr Gibbs, RB, Detroit Lions
  • Sam LaPorta, TE, Detroit Lions
  • Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams
  • Bijan Robinson, RB, Atlanta Falcons
  • C.J. Stroud, QB, Houston Texans

Defensive Rookie of the Year

  • Will Anderson Jr., DE, Houston Texans
  • Jalen Carter, DT, Philadelphia Eagles
  • Joey Porter Jr., CB, Pittsburgh Steelers
  • Kobie Turner, DT, Los Angeles Rams
  • Devon Witherspoon, CB, Seattle Seahawks

Comeback Player of the Year

  • Joe Flacco, QB, Cleveland Browns
  • Damar Hamlin, S, Buffalo Bills
  • Baker Mayfield, QB, Tampa Bay Buccaneers
  • Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams
  • Tua Tagovailoa, QB, Detroit Lions

Coach of the Year

  • Dan Campbell, Detroit Lions
  • John Harbaugh, Baltimore Ravens
  • DeMeco Ryans, Houston Texans
  • Kyle Shanahan, San Francisco 49ers
  • Kevin Stefanski, Cleveland Browns

Assistant Coach of the Year

  • Ben Johnson, OC, Detroit Lions
  • Mike Macdonald, DC, Baltimore Ravens
  • Todd Monken, OC, Baltimore Ravens
  • Jim Schwartz, DC, Cleveland Browns
  • Bobby Slowik, OC, Houston Texans

Were there any Vikings players or coaches who were snubbed from these groups of five? You can make a case for a few. Ivan Pace Jr. certainly believes he was one of the five best defensive rookies in the league this season.

The biggest snub might be Brian Flores, who engineered an incredible turnaround with the Vikings' defense without many big names or proven players. His unique approach and diverse schemes helped get the most out of unheralded guys like Pace, Josh Metellus, D.J. Wonnum, and Camryn Bynum.

Jordan Addison and Danielle Hunter also have outside cases for OROY and DPOY, respectively, but it's hard to disagree too emphatically with the finalists for those awards. Of course, reigning OPOY Justin Jefferson would've been in the mix to go back-to-back if he had been healthy all year.

Thanks for reading. Make sure to bookmark this site and check back daily for the latest Vikings news and analysis all season long.

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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