5 biggest snubs in NFL Honors 2024 feat. T.J. Watt

T.J. Watt was perhaps the most prominent snub in the 13th Annual NFL Honors, but he was not the only one.

Many awards presented that night were well-deserved, like Lamar Jackson winning MVP after setting career-highs in completions and passing yards while remaining deadly on the ground; Christian McCaffrey running away with Offensive Player of the Year after a monstrous first full season with the San Francisco 49ers; and the Houston Texans sweeping the rookie prizes thanks to quarterback C.J. Stroud and defensive end Will Anderson Jr.

And there are these alleged "mistakes", according to the fans:

#5) DeMeco Ryans

AFC Divisional Playoffs - Houston Texans v Baltimore Ravens

On a night when his former teammate Andre Johnson was announced as a Hall of Fame inductee, DeMeco Ryans just missed out on winning Coach of the Year.

The Houston Texans head coach had a massive task ahead of him when he took the reins at the start of 2023. The team had gone a franchise-worst 3-13-1 in their first season without former franchise face Deshaun Watson, and they did not exactly have the most talented roster around.

But he managed to turn C.J. Stroud and Will Anderson into potential generational talents and gave the Texans their first division title since 2019, before routing the Cleveland Browns of eventual award winner Kevin Stefanski in the Wild Card Round.

#4) Ben Johnson

Ben Johnson talks with Jared Goff

Ben Johnson has been with the Detroit Lions since 2022, during which he orchestrated a monstrous turnaround. With him, Jared Goff, and Amon St. Brown at the forefront, the offense helped to turn a 3-6 start into a 6-2 finish, just missing the playoffs via head-to-head against the Seattle Seahawks (who, interestingly enough, would later express interest in hiring him as Pete Carroll's successor).

But it was in 2023 that Johnson's efforts finally bore fruit. The Lions, bolstered by the drafting of Jahmyr Gibbs and Sam LaPorta and the free agent signing of David Montgomery, dominated the NFC North and went as far as the NFC Championship Game – their first since the days of Barry Sanders.

#3) Matthew Stafford

NFC Wild Card Playoffs - Los Angeles Rams v Detroit Lions

Damar Hamlin's return to the field after his cardiac episode is, without a doubt, one of the most inspiring moments in NFL history.

However, playing only a few snaps and being a healthy scratch for a good number of games probably did not make him the most logical Comeback Player of the Year candidate.

Matthew Stafford on the other hand, was a good candidate. From the low that was the 2022-23 Super Bowl LVI hangover, he performed decently enough to return the Los Angeles Rams to the playoffs this season.

#2) Baker Mayfield

NFC Divisional Playoffs - Tampa Bay Buccaneers v Detroit Lions

Speaking of Comeback Player of the Year, Baker Mayfield needs to receive his dues already.

When he joined the Tampa Bay Buccaneers during the offseason, he was dismissed as a one-year stopgap until ownership and management found the next generational prospect. Then he played out of his mind and won the team another NFC South title.

The Buccaneers made it to the Divisional Round before just coming up short at Ford Field. Not bad for someone whom the Cleveland Browns (coincidentally the team of eventual Comeback Player of the Year Joe Flacco) ditched because they could not resist the allure of Deshaun Watson.

#1) T.J. Watt

Cincinnati Bengals v Pittsburgh Steelers

T.J. Watt could not be stopped on the field this season. He was as statistically dominant a defender as anyone could get, clinching his third sacking title, the second-most of all time behind only the award's namesake, Deacon Jones.

But apparently, the people at analytics sites like Pro Football Focus thought Myles Garrett was a better defender. And while they do have their merits to support it, ultimately most fans care about raw numbers, and that notion seemingly came into play here.