NFL Rookie of the Year: Andy Dalton, Not Cam Newton, Deserves This Award

All the talk this season has been about Cam Newton as the rookie of the year in the NFL.

Newton has had a great year for the Carolina Panthers, to be sure, but it’s wrong to overlook Andy Dalton of the Cincinnati Bengals.

While Newton threw for more yardage (4,051) than Dalton (3,398), and his NFL-record 14 rushing touchdowns by a rookie is spectacular, the game isn’t all about the stats. Well, not about those stats, anyway.

The stat that counts the most is wins and losses, and it’s in that category that Dalton wins, hands down. The Bengals went 9-7 and made it to the playoffs.

Dalton and the Bengals had their backs to the wall coming in to the final three games of the season. They were 7-6 and in real danger of not making the playoffs.

All Dalton did was to prove his worth as a leader, throwing for 565 yards and a couple of touchdowns over the three games. Cincinnati won twice, just enough to make it into the playoffs.

The Panthers, for as much as Newton gave them, didn’t come close to doing that. Carolina won just six of its 16 games with Newton at the helm, and that counts for something.

Newton had two games of 400 or more yards and another of 374 yards. All of those were losses when he had to throw in an effort to rally the troops.

In fact, his six best yardage numbers came in losses. Of his six lowest yardage totals, five came in losses, at least suggesting that he was more valuable to the Panthers when the Carolina offense was balanced.

Sure, you can make a case that Newton is rookie of the year.

But between the two, there is no doubt it is Dalton who was the most valuable rookie.