NFL Rookie of the Year 2013-14 Results: Offensive & Defensive Winners and Recap

Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy and New York Jets defensive end Sheldon Richardson are the 2013-14 NFL offensive and defensive rookies of the year. 

The Associated Press tweeted the announcement of offensive rookie of the year:

NFL.com tweeted the defensive rookie of the year announcement:

Lacy won the award on the strength of a season that saw him rush for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns on 284 carries for the Packers.

However, the most impressive number may be eight. That's how many games the Packers won without star quarterback Aaron Rodgers, thanks to Lacy's punishing running style keeping the offense afloat. 

Lacy's heroics made him the runaway winner of the award. Only San Diego Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen posed a real threat. Allen had 71 catches for 1,046 yards and eight touchdowns for the 9-7 Chargers and garnered 12 votes, per Chris Wesseling of NFL.com.

Player	Position	No. of votes
Eddie Lacy, Green Bay Packers	RB	35
Keenan Allen, San Diego Chargers	WR	12
Giovani Bernard, Cincinnati Bengals	RB	1
Larry Warford, Detroit Lions	OT	1
Cordarrelle Patterson, Minnesota Vikings	WR-KR	1

As a defensive end, Richardson wasn't always in the limelight like Lacy, but he was impressive enough to take the honor home. He compiled 77 total tackles, 3.5 sacks and one forced fumble. He was also among the best run-stuffing defensive tackles in the game, according to Pro Football Focus:

The vote was much closer on the defensive side of the ball, though. Buffalo Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso was right behind Richardson in the voting, but the Jets DE felt confident that he deserved to be given the trophy prior to the ceremony, per Kimberley Martin of Newsday: "I am the defensive rookie of the year. That's just how I feel. If anybody has an opinion about it, they can always state their opinion. It's just me."

Here's a look at the full results of the voting:

Player	Position	No. of votes
Sheldon Richardson, New York Jets	DE	23
Kiko Alonso, Buffalo Bills	LB	19
Kenny Vaccaro, New Orleans Saints	S	4
Tyrann Mathieu, Arizona Cardinals	S	2
Star Lotulelei, Carolina Panthers	DT	2

Alonso made a strong case for the award. The second-round selection collected 159 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble and four interceptions. However, Richardson's season was strong enough to get the nod, despite Alonso's gaudy numbers.