After guiding the Cowboys to a 13-3 regular season with a rookie quarterback, Jason Garrett beat out Bill Belichick on Saturday to win the NFL's Coach of the Year award.

Here's what the final vote looked like:


Belichick is certainly always a deserving candidate considering he's arguably the greatest coach in the history of the game (and he definitely would've been a fine selection this year after he went 14-2 overall and 3-1 without Tom Brady), but it's really not surprising to see Garrett take home the award. Remember: This a regular-season award, so voters didn't factor in the Cowboys' early playoff exit and the Patriots' Super Bowl run.

Not only did Garrett's team go 13-3 -- earning the top seed in the NFC -- his team went 13-3 after losing its starting quarterback (Tony Romo) in the preseason. Most teams that lose their starting quarterbacks don't stand a chance -- just look at how the Cowboys fared in 2015, when they posted a 4-12 record due to Romo's injury issues.

But in 2016, Garrett managed to turn the Cowboys into a legit Super Bowl contender. Of course, it helps that his rookie quarterback Dak Prescott and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott were two of the best players at their position groups in the entire NFL (Prescott upset Elliott to win Offensive Rookie of the Year), but don't overlook the job Garrett did to navigate a tricky quarterback controversy.

It wasn't too long ago when some critics wanted Romo to step back in under center after he got fully healthy. But Garrett stuck with Prescott, which worked out well, and he avoided any unnecessary drama in the process. He deserves credit for that.

Ultimately, Garrett had too many factors going for him: He overcame a critical injury, his team won a ton of games one year removed from a four-win campaign, and he coaches "America's Team."