The 2019 NFL season will conclude with Super Bowl LIV on Sunday, and the 2019 movie season will conclude with the Academy Awards the following Sunday.
So what better way to celebrate both culminations than by linking them together?
That's right: It's time for the NFL Oscars!
From Best Picture to Best Costume Design, we've taken more than a dozen accolades familiar to the Academy Awards and applied them to some of the top players, teams and moments of this NFL season. Just like at the real Oscars, the most successful or talked-about performances often got the most hardware. Are we good judges of this year's talent? That's up to you to decide.
Without further ado, we present the 2020 Oscars, NFL edition:
Best Picture
Winner: The Kansas City Chiefs
We don't yet know if the Chiefs will win it all, and their Super Bowl LIV opponent also got plenty of votes for this prestigious honor, but they're such a beautiful package. Not only did K.C. deliver some of the postseason's best plot twists, overcoming big deficits in back-to-back games while redeeming a 2018 AFC title-game defeat, but the Chiefs also have some of the NFL's most electrifying characters (whose speed and acrobatic skill make them a joy to watch), as well as a legend of the game in coach Andy Reid. It's hard not to root for their fun, historic ride to end with the glory of a trophy.
Super Bowl Week is here, and there's a lot to go over. John Breech and Sean Wagner-McGough breakdown 49ers-Chiefs storylines, answer questions from the listener mailbag and more. Listen below and be sure to subscribe for daily NFL goodness.
Best Director
Winner: Kyle Shanahan, for The San Francisco 49ers
John Harbaugh was a popular pick among some Academy voters for his electrifying visual-effects spectacle The Baltimore Ravens, but gritty, old-fashioned trench warfare can never be denied, and that's what Shanahan crafted so beautifully. His production wowed during moments of both high triumph and serious adversity, finding ways to win over audiences with every subsequent viewing.
Best Actor
Winner: Patrick Mahomes, in The Kansas City Chiefs
Lamar Jackson fans will cry "Snub!" But so often Best Actor is linked to one of the best stories of the year, and Mahomes certainly had a huge hand in making his Chiefs more durable than Jackson's Ravens. And that's not even mentioning his acting! When have we ever seen someone with such instincts, such flair, such a knack for improbable, unexpected artistry? He was brilliant.
Best Supporting Actor
Winner: Kyle Juszczyk, in The San Francisco 49ers
No one does more brilliant dirty work than this guy. The 49ers are a pristine story for a lot of reasons, including their direction (Shanahan), their deep ground game and historic defense. But so, so many of their wide-open holes come courtesy of the Pro Bowl fullback, who does his best to make an outdated role look relevant as ever. Without Juszczyk, the Niners' stars wouldn't be as bright.
Best Original Screenplay
Winner: Carolina Panthers, for Christian McCaffrey
Best screenplay should go to the team that runs screen plays the best. Who caught screens -- and threatened to do something dangerous with them -- better and more often than the Panthers' star running back? No word on whether Matt Rhule, hired to direct the Christian McCaffrey sequel after Carolina's "creative differences" with Ron Rivera, has a new direction in mind for the story.
Best Adapted Screenplay
Winner: New England Patriots, for Hunting Bengals: The Illegal Way
The Academy debated long and hard whether to disqualify this production, originally filmed under the working title Do Your Job as part of a documentary series. In the end, it decided that since the Patriots confessed to skirting rules, it would still recognize how well the production crew adapted Bengals sideline signals directly into their defensive game plans.
Best International Feature
Winner: Danielle Hunter
Maybe the most overlooked of this year's Oscar contenders, Hunter is no stranger to Minnesota audiences, which have witnessed the Jamaican-born pass rusher's dominance for years. The 25-year-old is already the top international player in the business, becoming the youngest to reach 50 career sacks during his triumphant 2019 performance, his third with at least 12.5 sacks in four years.
Best Original Score
Winner: Kansas City Chiefs, for 51-31
The Baltimore Ravens got plenty of critical love for their September hit 59-10, costarring the Miami Dolphins as the Ravens' punching bag, but 51-31 resonated much deeper, not only because it showcased Patrick Mahomes as the front-runner for Best Actor but because it told a much more important story -- of the Chiefs overcoming a 24-0 hole to journey toward the Super Bowl.
Best Original Song
Winner: Nate Burleson, for Keepin' it 100: 2019 NFL Season Rap Recap
It dropped early in the fall, but it still hits hard. Who else spit better, more coherent lyrics in 2019?
Best Production Design
Winner: The New Orleans Saints
They didn't quite deliver the story to match their talent, but you couldn't have asked for a much better assembly, from the aesthetics of their main Superdome setting to the world-class ensemble cast of characters -- from big-name stars like Drew Brees and Michael Thomas to supporting gems like Teddy Bridgewater. Their pieces were so enviable. They just didn't have the direction they needed.
Best Makeup and Hair Styling
Winner: Tyrann Mathieu, for The Honey Badger
Odell Beckham Jr. may have been a lock before shredding his golden locks, and Ryan Fitzpatrick had a decent amount of indie support for his unmatched beard, but Mathieu got an understandable bump for his presence on a Best Picture production. His nickname, "The Honey Badger," is all the more appropriate now that his honey-tinted dreads have gotten the praise they deserve.
Best Costume Design
Winner: Rams vs. Ravens
The NFL's Color Rush uniforms have drawn mixed reviews over the years, but 2019's Thanksgiving Week smash gave us a glimpse at Color Rush at its absolute best. Baltimore's purple contrasted so well with Los Angeles' gold that no one seemed to mind how little of a fight the Rams put up under such a big spotlight. Lamar Jackson streaking down the field in a blur of color? Stunning.
Best Visual Effects
Winner: The Baltimore Ravens
If their story had held up a little longer, the Ravens would've been an easy candidate for Best Picture. But those effects? Boy, oh boy, did they raise the standard for the industry. Lamar Jackson's speed alone was a constant visual treat. Those purple hues were a delight. It's going to be incredible to see what this team produces moving forward. At the very least, we know it'll be fun to look at.
