NFL MVP, ROY and awards rankings: Is Eric Berry a defensive player of the year candidate?

If the Kansas City Chiefs end up doing some special things this season, they can point back to safety Eric Berry’s big day at the Atlanta Falcons as a big factor.

Berry had a pick-six and also an interception on a two-point conversion that he returned for two points for his own team in a 29-28 win. His eight points outscored the Miami Dolphins, Carolina Panthers and San Francisco 49ers last week. No player has ever won a football game by himself, not even the quarterbacks who get credited for “wins,” but Berry gets about as much credit as one player could for what he did at Atlanta.

Was that enough for Berry to get in the defensive player of the year mix? He has played well enough for consideration, but it has become a tough group to beat.

Von Miller has been great all year, Khalil Mack is red hot for a very good Oakland Raiders team, and fellow safety Landon Collins of the New York Giants probably has a better argument than argument. Berry is a marvelous player but his stats (59 tackles, three interceptions, zero sacks) don’t pop off the page, and that usually matters in voting. Collins, for a comparison, has 94 tackles, five interceptions and three sacks.

One edge Berry has is a tremendous story. Two years ago he was battling cancer. To come back and play at an All-Pro level in 2015 and again in 2016 is amazing. Him winning the defensive player of the year award on top of that would be incredible. And he’s also one of the clear leaders of the Chiefs. You won’t see an NFL player speak as highly of a teammate as quarterback Alex Smith spoke about Berry after Sunday’s win.

“Eric is the heart and soul of this team, the embodiment of what we’re about,” Smith said. “That’s selflessness, hard work, giving it up for the guy next to you. That’s all Eric talks about and its real, it’s sincere, there is no phoniness about it, and it’s from the heart. I think that really does echo throughout the locker room because of who he is and the way he plays, it’s sincere.”

I don’t think Berry has done enough to win defensive player of the year, but there’s still a quarter of the season to go. Either way, what he has done this season and last is remarkable.

Here are the awards rankings going into Week 14, starting with the MVP ballot:

1. New England Patriots QB Tom Brady – It’s hard to say if Rob Gronkowski’s absence will help or hurt Brady’s candidacy. On one hand, Brady’s stats will presumably suffer not being able to throw to the most dominant tight end of all time, and the Patriots are more vulnerable to suffer a loss or two. However, if Brady continues to play really well, a great season with a rating of 110 or more without Gronkowski for a big chunk of it would be really impressive.

2. Dallas Cowboys RB Ezekiel Elliott – It seemed last week like the Minnesota Vikings bottled Elliott up. Then you look at the stats, see 86 yards and a touchdown on 20 carries, and realize that’s probably Elliott’s floor at this point.

3. Oakland Raiders QB Derek Carr – As long as the Raiders keep winning, Carr will keep getting mentioned as a candidate. If he has a strong final four weeks and the Raiders win the AFC West, he could win it.

4. Atlanta Falcons QB Matt Ryan – Last week I said there were three candidates and a dropoff to No. 4. But when Ryan, in a huge game against Kansas City, throws a pick-six to Berry and has a two-point conversion intercepted and returned for the Chiefs’ winning points, he has to take a step back. He can get back in the race though, because he built a strong foundation this season (and his numbers are better than Carr’s almost across the board).

5. Detroit Lions QB Matthew Stafford – Stafford has a really good argument. He has done it all for a team that leads its division by two games. He has great comebacks like Carr, stats that match up with anyone and has done so with practically no running game to help him. If the Lions continue to win, he’ll get some serious consideration.

Defensive player of the year: Eric Berry and Khalil Mack were the two players that got the “defensive player of the year?” buzz last week. For Mack, he has a sack in seven straight games. I still prefer Miller, who has been great all season, but Mack is about one big game away from taking the lead.

The ballot: 1. Miller. 2. Mack. 3. New York Giants S Landon Collins.

Coach of the year: Like I said about Tom Brady above, Rob Gronkowski’s absence could hurt or enhance Bill Belichick’s candidacy. If the Patriots go 14-2 with Brady missing four games and Gronkowski missing eight, then Cowboys coach Jason Garrett better make sure he goes 15-1 if he wants this award.

The ballot: 1. Garrett. 2. Belichick. 3. Oakland Raiders coach Jack Del Rio.

Offensive rookie of the year: One good argument I heard for Cowboys rookie Dak Prescott (h/t to Mark Goldenberg for the e-mail) is that what he’s doing is unprecedented for a quarterback. It’s hard to argue. He’s on pace to post the best passer rating for a rookie in NFL history. Other rookie running backs have had big seasons that are somewhat comparable to Ezekiel Elliott. No rookie quarterback has done what Prescott has this season. I still prefer Elliott, but it’s fair point on Prescott.

The ballot: 1. Elliott. 2. Prescott. 3. Chicago Bears RB Jordan Howard.

Defensive rookie of the year: San Diego Chargers defensive end Joey Bosa got a sack last week, and Atlanta Falcons safety Keanu Neal had his issues in a loss to the Chiefs. Still, it’s Neal for now, though it’s closer.

The ballot: 1. Neal. 2. Bosa. 3. Atlanta Falcons LB Deion Jones.

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Frank Schwab is the editor of Shutdown Corner on Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter!
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