Despite outstanding 2019 seasons, Las Vegas (Oakland) Raiders running back Josh Jacobs and defensive end Maxx Crosby were not named AP Offensive and Defense Rookies of the Year. The NFL announced on Sunday that those honors went to Arizona Cardinals quarterback Kyler Murray and San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, respectively.
Bosa beating out Crosby for Defensive Rookie of the Year does not come as much of a surprise considering their stats were similar and the former played on a winning team.
Both players played all 16 games in 2019, and Bosa had 9.0 sacks, 47 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 25 quarterback hits, an interception, a forced fumble and two fumble recoveries. For comparison, Crosby had 10.0 sacks, 46 total tackles, 16 tackles for loss, 14 quarterback hits, and four forced fumbles.
Bosa was the No. 2 overall pick and came in with a ton of hype, while Crosby was an under-the-radar fourth-round selection. It appears the voters did not take into account where each player was selected though.
As far as Offensive Rookie of the Year goes, Jacobs was a complete snub. He was a frontrunner for the award all season long but missed some games down the stretch due to injury and it looks like that was enough for Murray to surpass him.
Jacobs was a workhorse for the Raiders, often being featured in the offense when he was on the field. In 13 games, he carried the ball 242 yards for a franchise rookie rushing record 1,150 yards and seven touchdowns while also adding 20 receptions for 166 yards.
It is hard to compare a running back’s stats to a quarterback’s, but Murray played in 16 games, throwing for 3,722 yards with 20 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also ran for 544 yards and four touchdowns on 93 carries. As the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 draft, he also had a lot of hype surrounding him going into the season and showed plenty of flashes of what is to come.
Here is how the voting shaped up for both awards, via Anthony Galaviz of The Fresno Bee:
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year voting:
Nick Bosa, #49ers 43
Maxx Crosby, #Raiders 4
Devin Bush, #Steelers 2
Josh Allen, #Jaguars 1— Anthony Galaviz (@agalaviz_TheBee) February 1, 2020
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year voting:
Kyler Murray, QB, #Cardinals 26 1/2
Josh Jacobs, RB, #Raiders 13
A.J. Brown, WR, #Titans 9 1/2
Miles Sanders, RB, #Eagles 1— Anthony Galaviz (@agalaviz_TheBee) February 1, 2020
While Crosby and Jacobs were both snubbed this year, hopefully, they can use that as motivation to be even better in 2020 to help get the Raiders back into postseason contention. Jacobs was recently rewarded for his 2019 season by being named the PFWA Offensive Rookie of the Year.
