Former Georgia Bulldogs Matthew Stafford and Jalen Carter are finalists for a couple of marquee NFL awards after impressive 2023 seasons.
Stafford is up for Comeback Player of the Year after leading the Los Angeles Rams to a wild-card round appearance, ultimately losing 27-24 to the Detroit Lions.
The former Georgia quarterback had a injury-plagued season in 2022 that limited him to only nine games. There were talks of retirement for the veteran, but his 15th NFL season proved he still has plenty of gas left in the tank.
Stafford finished 11th in the league in passing yards (3,965), tied for 11th in touchdowns (24), ranked 10th in interceptions (11) and posted a 63.7 QBR, good enough for sixth in the NFL.
Carter is a finalist for Defensive Rookie of the Year after an outstanding first year with the Philadelphia Eagles, who ultimately lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 32-9 in the wild-card round.
Carter continued his high level of play that we witnessed for three years in Athens. Pro Football Focus’ highest-graded rookie racked up 33 tackles, six sacks, 43 quarterback pressures, two forced fumbles, a fumble recovery and a blocked kick.
Winners will be announced at the NFL Honors on Feb. 8 at 9 p.m. ET. The show will air on CBS and the NFL Network and will be available to stream on Paramount+ and NFL+.
