2020 NFL Coach of the Year - Odds, Preview and Prediction

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Do not fret as we will all get through this and we are starting to see live sports make a return. Today I will take a look at how the battle for NFL Coach of the Year shapes up for this coming season, so let’s get after it.

2020-21 NFL Coach of the Year Odds

There are a few new coaches in the league including Kevin Stefanski (Cleveland Browns), Joe Judge (New York Giants), Mike McCarthy (Dallas Cowboys) Ron Rivera (Washington Redskins) and Matt Rhule (Carolina Panthers) The NFC must have a lot of issues as four of the new coaches this year have come from that conference.

The only one on that list that I feel has a chance of winning NFL Coach of the Year honors is Mike McCarthy. He is listed at +1400, according to BetMGM. McCarthy has had a year away from coaching and that should have him rejuvenated to take on the challenges of being the coach of the Dallas Cowboys. McCarthy had some very good seasons at Green Bay and he steps into a great situation here in Dallas. The Cowboys have a very talented team this year and should walk away with the NFC East Title. The offense is loaded with stars and the defense has made some very good upgrades. He is definitely high on the list of candidates.

Next, I will take a look at Bill Belichick, who is the favorite to win COY honors this year at +1000. Bill Belichick is one of the greatest coaches in NFL history but now we will find out if he can win without Tom Brady. The chances are that he can. Back in 2008, Brady played in just one game before getting injured and the Pats sill went 11-5. They did finish 2nd in the AFC East that year, but still, he showed that he can win without Brady. Now Let’s play devils’ advocate for a moment. Tom took over the starting quarterback job in 2001 and Belichick has gone 219-64 in games where Brady was under center. When Belichick took over the pats back in 2001, Brady was not the starting QB and New England went 5-11 that year. We also go back to his time in Cleveland where he was 36-44 in five years. All-told, Belichick has gone 49-50 in games where he did not have Brady as a starting QB. He has a winning percentage of 49.5 without Brady in his career, compared to 68.3 with him as his starting QB. We also note that all 6 Championships that the Pats have won, came with Brady as their QB. Belichick will be out to prove that he can win without tom this year and he certainly has a team to do it with. The question is, “Can He?” We shall see.

Mike Vrable (+1400) is next on the list of coaches I will take a look at. He is the head coach of the Tennessee Titans, who could very well take the AFC South title this year. The Titans finished 2nd in the division last year but they made the playoffs as a wildcard team and then went all the way to the AFC Title game, before losing to the chiefs. Still, should be tied with McCarthy for 2nd as far as odds go? The Titans may have to go 13-3 in the regular season and then all the way back to the AFC Title game for him to win.

Cliff Kinsbury may be a good bet at +1600. The Arizona Cardinals went just 5-10-1 last year but this is a team that is vastly improved. Kyler Murray is now in his 2nd year behind center and the Cards have added one of the best wide receivers in the game in DeAndre Hopkins, who came over in a trade with Houston. The running game should also be solid after they picked up Kenyan Drake mid-way through last year. The defense still has some question marks but it still improved over last year. Even though, I expect the Cards to do no better than 8-8, I am still high on this team and they could be one of the bigger surprises of the season.

Next, we will discuss Sean McDermott at Buffalo. He is listed at +1800, which is 5th best on the list of odds at BetMGM. McDermott has been building a nice team here in Buffalo and now they do not have to contend with Tom Brady, who had some good numbers against them in his career. The offense got a big boost with the addition of Stefon Diggs at wide receiver and Josh Allen is now in his third year at running the offense. Last year, e showed great promise after a subpar rookie season. With an improved offense, one of the best defenses in the league, and no Brady in New England the Bills could very well walk away with the AFC East Title this year and then make a deep run in the playoffs. That all makes Sean McDermott a solid candidate for COY honors.

I will look at two more coaches before giving my final prediction. The first is Bruce Arians (+2000) of Tampa Bay. The Buccaneers have vastly upgraded their team, especially at QB with Tom Brady, who has gone 219-64 in his career, during the regular season. He also has plenty of playoff experience, should the Bucs make it that far. Yes, Jameis Winston threw for over 5100 yards last year but he also had 30 INTs. Brady has just 29 INTs in his last four years combined. Tampa has also added Rob Gronkowski, upgraded their offensive line and their defense as well. The Bucs will not win the division but they will be in the hunt for a playoff spot and should they land one, it could be all that Arians would need to sew up the 2020 NFL Coach of the Year award.

Frank Reich (+1600) is in a good situation at Indianapolis. Last year, the Colts went just 7-9 on the year but they also had shaky play at the QB spot. That will not happen this year as Indianapolis has added free agent Philip Rivers, who comes over from the Los Angeles Chargers. The Colts now have a QB again, which means the offense will be improved. The Colts have also improved their defense. Should they be able to steal the AFC South from the Titans, we could see Frank Reich be the recipient of the 2020 NFL COY award.

Final Analysis: So who am I taking for this year’s NFL Coach of the Year? There are some very good coaches on the list above and I didn’t even touch on the likes of Andy Reid (Kansas City) John Harbaugh (Baltimore) and Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco). All three coaches had great years a season ago and they are all expected to have great seasons this year as well, so I don’t feel the COY honors will come from the group.

As high as I am on Arizona and the job that Kliff Kingsbury has done, in do not see him winning it, but he could very well come in 2nd. My pick to win it this year is sean McDermott of Buffalo. He has an upgraded offense, his QB is in his 3rd year and the defense will be one of the best in the league. We also note that the Bills do not have to contend with a New England team that no longer has Tom Brady at QB. It all sets up for the Bills to have a strong season and they should win the AFC East. I also see the Bills making it to at least the AFC title game. That should be enough to hand McDermott the award. Prediction: Sean McDermott (+1800).