It was a season to remember for all of Chiefs Kingdom, but a couple of awards handed out earlier this week will make it especially so for two members of the Kansas City Chiefs roster. On Tuesday night, the Chiefs announced safety Tyrann Mathieu was named Most Valuable Player for the season by winning the Derrick Thomas Award. Meanwhile, wide receiver Mecole Hardman was named Rookie of the Year with the Mack Lee Hill Award.
One of the single biggest stories of the season was the defensive turnaround from the year before. The Chiefs were already on the verge of making the Super Bowl in 2018, but the team decided to completely remake the defense on the fly in a single offseason that meant exporting several well-known players and importing guys like Mathieu and pass rusher Frank Clark.