Midseason Awards: Offensive MVP

I’ll pop the bubble right now. The defensive MVP is the team MVP, and it shouldn’t be too big of a secret to who that will be. Because of that, I’m going out of the original order, and naming the offensive MVP today.

The Ravens’ offense this season has been above-average, at best. They rank 14th in the NFL in total yards per game, and 15th in points per game. With that said, they’ve played the two of the best defenses in the league (Jets, Steelers), and their offense started the season lagging well behind their defense in terms of production. Lately, the offense has been more productive. Scoring at least 20 points in their last three games, including a 37-spot against the Bills two weeks ago, flashes of brilliance have been seen.

Award winner after the jump.

Anquan Boldin, Wide Receiver:

Boldin was the subject of a lot of talk coming into the season. The Baltimore hype machine was on at full force, with fans hoping that Boldin would be the true #1 receiver the Ravens have seemingly always been missing. The final piece to the puzzle of a great offense, if you will. To say that Boldin has fully lived up to expectations is a little bit of a stretch, but he has been excellent thus far. Catching 38 passes for 518 yards and 5 touchdowns, the former Arizona Cardinal has been Joe Flacco’s #1 target in the passing game.

Using his current statistics, Boldin is on pace for 87 receptions, 1184 yards, and 11 touchdowns. If Boldin were to finish the season with those numbers in each of those categories, all three totals would be good for 2nd all-time on the Ravens’ single-season receiving charts. Taking into mind the fact that Joe Flacco hasn’t been at the top of his game thus far, Boldin’s numbers could get even better in the second half of the season. Realizing that Ozzie Newsome traded only a third and fourth-round pick for Boldin, the Ravens may have pulled off one of the best trades in their team history.

Look out tomorrow for the Defensive/Team MVP.