3-Wide: Who will be named the league's MVP this season?
3-Wide is a weekly feature in which theScore's NFL editors debate the hot topics around the league. Grab a cold towel and brace for hot takes.
Who will be named the Most Valuable Player this season?
Arun Srinivasan: Andrew Luck will capture his first MVP award, leading the league's deepest group of wide receivers to a record-breaking season. Luck is surrounded by a number of top-flight weapons, and finally has a competent running back in Frank Gore to make the offense less predictable. In spite of a porous defense that can't stop the run, or put pressure on the quarterback, Luck will steer the Colts to the top of the AFC, edging out reigning MVP Aaron Rodgers for the award.
David P. Woods: Ben Roethlisberger has an MVP season in him before he retires and he's uniquely poised to do it this year. The Steelers' defense will likely be terrible, forcing Roethlisberger to put up huge numbers in order to win games. With a wealth of receiving talent at his disposal, including what may be football's best wide receiver and receiving running back, Roethlisberger will top 5,000 yards passing, lead the league in touchdown tosses, and direct the Steelers to a playoff bye. That's an MVP résumé.
Joe Thomson: Adrian Peterson will be this season's MVP. A massive statistical year in Mike Zimmer's run-heavy offense, coupled with some vote splitting among the league's top quarterbacks will allow Peterson to take home his second MVP trophy. It will probably take 1,700 rushing yards, 20 touchdowns and 10 Vikings wins, which are all possible.
Who will be named Defensive Player of the Year?
Woods: Only an injury can prevent J.J. Watt from matching Lawrence Taylor as the only players to take home this award three times. Watt is simply the best defender of his generation and is on his way to undisputed status as the best of all time. It's a chalk answer, but it's the only reasonable one.
Thomson: Momentum behind the J.J. Watt-sportswriter love affair is next to impossible to stop at this point. Watt has spent the first episodes of "Hard Knocks" grandstanding for cameras, doing his darnedest to prove he's just a hard-nosed, hard-working, hard-edged hard body and the sportswriters of America swooned. Not sure what it would take at this point for Watt to lose this honor.
Srinivasan: Von Miller will be the centerpiece of the Broncos' new 3-4 defense, allowing him to attack the quarterback at will. Miller evolved into a complete outside linebacker last year, and was equally devastating against the run as he was against the pass. Miller will likely lead the NFL in sacks, and will be the face of a defense that could feature a number of Pro Bowlers. Phenomenal as J.J. Watt is, only Lawrence Taylor captured the award in back-to-back years.
Who will take home Coach of the Year honors?
Thomson: Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin has not been awarded this honor despite being in the running several times. This will be his year after the Steelers reel off a 13-win season, taking the league by storm with a dominant offense and sack-happy defense.
Srinivasan: Rex Ryan will steer the Bills to their first playoff bid of the millennium and the narrative will gain so much steam that he'll edge out a host of deserving candidates. Already adorned on a Sports Illustrated cover, Ryan's tendency to instill a run-heavy offense, combined with an aggressive front seven, will embolden the Bills' personnel to the best of their potential.
Woods: Bill Belichick should probably win this award every season, but it typically goes to a coach who bursts onto the scene in a big way or whose team greatly exceeds expectations. Keep an eye on Gary Kubiak, who is set up for success in his second go-around as a head coach. Weirdly, the Broncos are kind of flying under the radar. If Kubiak is an upgrade over John Fox (and there's plenty of reason to believe he will be), Peyton Manning has one last magical year in him and the defense finally lives up to its potential, the Broncos could win 14 or 15 games.