In your opinion, which nominee is most deserving of winning his respective postseason award? Dak Prescott for MVP, CeeDee Lamb or Prescott for Best Offensive Player, or DaRon Bland or Micah Parsons for Defensive Player of Year. You can only pick one! – Mark Thompson/Washington, D.C.
Patrik: Dak Prescott has played at an MVP level before, and the fact he returned to that form in the 2023 regular season is a huge credit to both the three-time Pro Bowler and Mike McCarthy in his return to offensive play-calling, absolutely. CeeDee Lamb was on another level, however, one I haven't seen in ages from a Cowboys' receiver, and Micah Parsons pushed his career-high sack tally up a notch. But when I look at what DaRon Bland did in 2023, that's the end of the debate, for me. Bottom line is this: we've all seen a quarterback put up gaudy numbers, and the same goes for wide receivers. Hell, we've all [now] seen a cornerback do the same by way of Trevon Diggs in 2021. But as unreal Diggs' 11-INT season was, we've seen that before as well (Everson Walls in 1981). That said, racking up five pick-sixes in a single season is unfathomable, and has literally never been done before, and that's what Bland did — accomplished a feat never before achieved in the history of the more than century-old NFL. I mean, seriously, what individual achievement could possibly be more deserving this season of a top NFL honor??
Nick Eatman: I'm going to go with Patrik here, but probably in a few less words. The most deserving for this award is DaRon Bland - hands down. I think Lamar Jackson is more worthy than Dak for MVP. I think Tyreek Hill and CeeDee Lamb are really close for Offensive Player of the Year ... I could see either of them winning. But for Defensive Player of the Year, it has to be DaRon Bland. Just go with what the award is actually called. It's not best defensive player overall. It's not Defensive MVP. It's simply - Defensive Player of the Year. Well, who had a better year than Bland? The other guys had stats as well, but it's not like any of them were on a great team. Cleveland and Pittsburgh both made it in the playoffs but weren't dominant. All of these guys had big numbers, but no records were broken. Bland, on the other hand, did something we've never seen before with the five pick-sixes. Plus, he led the league in interceptions. Since when did sacks become more important? To me, it's Bland all day.
