NFL Awards Ballot: Trevor Lawrence Keeps Good Vibes Going, Making Him Early MVP Candidate

Trevor Lawrence used a sizzling second half to insert himself into the MVP conversation in 2025, emerging as a finalist for the first time in his NFL career last season. Well, Lawrence kept the high-level play going at the start of this season, completing 18 of 23 passes for 245 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions for a league-leading 150.6 passer rating in the Jacksonville Jaguars’ 34-10 rout of the Cleveland Browns. Lawrence was sacked just once, completing passes to nine different pass catchers. He was particularly effective pushing the ball down the field. Lawrence completed 10 of 11 passes for 179 yards and three touchdowns on passes of 10-plus air yards against Cleveland, per Next Gen Stats. Lawrence’s three touchdowns of at least 10 air yards were the most in a game during his NFL career. Week 2 should provide a tougher test for Lawrence. He and the Jaguars travel to Denver to face one of the best defenses in the Broncos in Week 2. However, Lawrence and the Jaguars carved up the Broncos last season, getting a 34-20 easy win. This is just a continuation of a hot stretch for Jacksonville’s quarterback and his team. Lawrence has led the Jaguars to victories in nine of their last 10 games. Over that span, Lawrence has completed 63.6% of his passes for 2,461 yards, with 26 touchdowns and seven interceptions for a 109.0 passer rating. Lawrence’s efficient play is validation for head coach and offensive playcaller Liam Coen that the Clemson product has the talent and consistency to lead the overlooked Jaguars on a deep playoff run.’ The oddsmakers are starting to believe as well, as Lawrence is tied with Brock Purdy with the fifth-best odds for the award at 14-to-1. Josh Allen is tops on the board. Let’s take a closer look at my picks for the top three of all the major awards heading into Week 2. Offensive Player Of The Year The skinny: Kenneth Walker III certainly has an argument for being on this list, but I went with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year in JSN at No. 3 because of what he did in the second half with Sam Darnold out to help lead Seattle to victory. The 32-year-old Henry might have had the most impressive performance, with three touchdown runs as the Ravens looked dangerous on offense again. Lions offensive coordinator Drew Petzing is apparently ready to feed Gibbs, who carried it a career-high 29 times in the win over the New Orleans Saints. Defensive Player Of The Year The skinny: Hutchinson is tied for the league lead in sacks (2) and quarterback pressures (10) after Week 1. Watt also had two sacks and completed one of the biggest defensive plays last week, intercepting Atlanta Falcons quarterback Cooper Rush on a screen pass and picking himself up to rumble 35 yards for a score. Los Angeles safety Quentin Lake finished with an interception and a league-leading three pass breakups in a loss for the Rams. Coach Of The Year The skinny: Johnson means what he says about breaking the NFL scoring record, as Chicago tallied a league-high 59 points in its Week 1 win over the Carolina Panthers. And in New York, it only took a week for Harbaugh to change the identity of the Giants, as they earned a grind-it-out win over the visiting Dallas Cowboys. Everyone thought the Cardinals were playing for 2027 draft status and Arch Manning, but no one told LaFleur, who looks like he’ll have Arizona ready to fight each week. Offensive Rookie Of The Year The skinny: Price vs. Love should be an interesting battle to watch this year. In Week 1, Price was the starter for the Seahawks, posting 52 rushing yards on 10 rushes. I was surprised the Seahawks didn’t give Price the ball more, as he averaged 5.2 yards per carry. Love served as the backup to Tyler Allgeier, finishing with 50 scrimmage yards on 13 touches, including a 5-yard run for a score. The two Notre Dame products will face off when Seattle travels to Arizona for Week 2. Williams had a nice debut for the Commanders, totaling four catches for 64 yards and a touchdown. Defensive Rookie Of The Year The skinny: A second-round selection by the Titans, Hill leads the league in tackles after Week 1 with 16. Downs showed versatility and playmaking ability in his first career start, finishing with a sack, a forced fumble and seven combined tackles. But Trotter showed off the most playmaking ability. The son of former Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Jeremiah Trotter, the younger Trotter became the first player in NFL history to record both a sack and an interception returned for a touchdown in his first career game. He finished with 10 combined tackles, a sack, two tackles for loss and an interception returned for a 38-yard score. MVP The skinny: Lawrence’s impressive play to start the year at least makes things interesting, as it’s not just a two-man race between Jackson and Allen. Speaking of Jackson, he looked just fine taking snaps under center in new offensive coordinator Declan Doyle’s offense. Jackson finished 6 of 8 for 114 yards and a 116.7 passer rating from under center, per Next Gen Stats. Allen averaged 12.6 air yards per attempt in a Week 1 win over Houston, the most for him in a game since Week 18 of the 2022 season. Patrick Mahomes looked healthy in Kansas City’s runaway win over Denver, which is bad news for the rest of the league.