On the night before Super Bowl 50 kicks off, the NFL will announce its annual award winners during the NFL Honors ceremony on Saturday night. The event will feature the 2016 Hall of Fame class announcement and awards will be handed out for NFL MVP, Offensive Player of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and more.
Last year saw J.J. Watt win Defensive Player of the Year (which he could win again), DeMarco Murray win Offensive Player of the Year (which he certainly won't win again), Aaron Rodgers win MVP (this also won't be happening again this year) and Odell Beckham Jr. win both the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year and NFL Play of the Year. Who will be this year's winners?
Here's how to watch and what to know:
What: NFL Honors Awards Show
When: Saturday, February 6, 9 p.m. EST.
TV: CBS
Awards:
AP Most Valuable Player
Top Nominees: Cam Newton, Tom Brady, Carson Palmer
Months ago, Andy Dalton was in the discussion for the NFL MVP award, but a brutally-timed thumb fracture essentially disqualified him from consideration after he missed the final 3 games of the season and the Wild Card loss.
Prediction: Cam Newton (Carolina Panthers)
Guiding his team to a 15-1 regular season record and a potential Super Bowl title, Cam Newton is far and away the frontrunner for the MVP award, and he'll likely be the guy to get it.
AP Coach of the Year
Top Nominees: Ron Rivera, Bill Belichick, Bruce Arians, Andy Reid
Marvin Lewis' Bengals finished 12-4 despite playing four games with a backup quarterback. But his success doesn't hold up against Rivera and Belichick, who won more playoff games, and for the Panthers, more regular season games.
Prediction: Ron Rivera (Carolina Panthers)
Rivera took a team with one of the league's worst receiving groups, a mediocre offensive line and journeyman stopgaps in the secondary to the Super Bowl. That's an impressive feat. Also keep an eye on Gary Kubiak, who has a chance of becoming only the fourth coach to ever win a Super Bowl in his first year with his team. And, Andy Reid who went from 1-5 (with their only win in the first six games coming in Week 1) to finish out the season 11-5. Reid also led his team to a playoff win.
AP Offensive Player of the Year
Top Nominees: Adrian Peterson, Julio Jones, Rob Gronkowski, Odell Beckham Jr., Antonio Brown
Andrew Whitworth and A.J. Green make strong cases, but they couldn't measure up with the best of the best in this season's award race. Division rival Antonio Brown looks like the the AFC North's strongest contender.
Prediction: Rob Gronkowski (New England Patriots)
It's hard to see the NFL giving an award to a player who is still in bad standing with the media and fans, so I doubt Adrian Peterson wins this award, despite being the most deserving player. Rob Gronkowski's incredible 2015 season sparked discussion of his being the best tight end of all-time. Winning Offensive Player of the Year would be a huge milestone in what already could be a Hall of Fame-caliber career.
AP Defensive Player of the Year
Top Nominees: J.J. Watt, Luke Kuechly, Tyrann Matthieu, Aaron Donald, Khalil Mack
Geno Atkins and Reggie Nelson certain made noteworthy cases, but being from a small-market team, their odds of earning recognition are little to none.
Prediction: J.J. Watt (Houston Texans)
He might not actually be the most deserving player, but J.J. Watt's name alone is enough to almost guarantee a third DPOY award for the Texans' defensive end. Watt had a stellar season and has quickly emerged as one of best defensive lineman of the 21st century.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
Top Nominees: Todd Gurley, Amari Cooper, Jameis Winston
The Bengals faced (and locked down) two of the three players on this list, so there's a bit of solace in that, at the very least. Cincinnati rarely relies on rookies to be heavy contributors, so there's no surprise the Bengals don't have any potential nominees on the list.
Prediction: Todd Gurley (St. Louis Rams)
One of the most celebrated rookies in the past five years, Gurley exploded onto the scene and has drawn high praise from NFL analysts across the country. His candidacy makes the Rams a very appealing team to root for in their new home of Los Angeles, California.
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
Top Nominees: Marcus Peters, Leonard Williams, Ronald Darby
Cincinnati had no rookies who came close to this level while the Chiefs, Jets and Bills all saw great production from these players in 2015.
Prediction: Marcus Peters (Kansas City Chiefs)
Peters was very up-and-down in 2015, but that's the most anyone can expect of a rookie. He was targeted most of any NFL corner and allowed several touchdowns in coverage, but he also snagged eight interceptions, tied with Reggie Nelson for most in the NFL.
AP Comeback Player of the Year
Top Nominees: Carson Palmer, Eric Berry, Sean Lee, Doug Martin, Tyler Eifert
Tyler Eifert and Geno Atkins both make very compelling arguments for Comeback Player of the Year honors, but such a loaded field makes it unlikely for either player to come out with the award.
Prediction: Eric Berry (Kansas City Chiefs)
Berry beat Hodgkin's lymphoma and earned All Pro honors in the same year; it's hard to see him not coming out with this award.
Other awards being given out include NFL.com Fantasy Player of the Year, Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year, Don Shula NFL High School Coach of the Year, FedEx Air & Ground Players of the Year, Castrol EDGE Clutch Performer of the Year, Bridgestone Performance Play of the Year, Courtyard's Greatness on the Road Award and the Salute to Service Award.
The Bengals don't have any players who are favorites to win any of these awards, but there's always a chance they could surprise.