The first annual Roaring Riot Awards, which are voted on by the most loyal and rabid fans of the Carolina Panthers, honors the performances of those Panthers who have gone above and beyond both on and off the field.
Roaring Riot members, which number over 6,000 and are located in over a dozen countries around the world, voted in multiple categories and collectively decided on their favorite players and moments from the 2020 Panthers season.
The first two awards will be announced today with the rest of the awards, including the Most Valuable Panther and Thomas Davis Panther of the Year Award, coming over the course of the week. In the first award announced, wide receiver Robby Anderson was voted 2020 Offensive Player of the Year.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Roaring Riot voted rookie Jeremy Chinn as the 2020 Roaring Riot Defensive Player of the Year.
Chinn was named the NFC Defensive Rookie of the Month for both October and November, the first time a Panthers rookie has won the award in consecutive months. The second-round pick joined Brian Burns (Sept. 2019), Luke Kuechly (Dec. 2012) and Julius Peppers (Oct. 2002) as the only Panthers to win Defensive Rookie of the Month honors – and he did it twice!
The hybrid safety and linebacker who logged snaps at multiple positions over the course of his rookie season led all first-year players in tackles, fumble recoveries and defensive touchdowns while ranking second in defensive snaps played and becoming only the third player in NFL history — and the first since 1948 — to score two touchdowns in a game on two separate fumble recoveries in Week 12 at Minnesota.
It was the first time in NFL history back-to-back fumbles had been returned for touchdowns by the same player.
Chinn finished with 117 tackles, five QB hits, one sack, five passes defenses, two forced fumbles, two fumble recoveries and an interception while playing 91% of the snaps and starting 15 games in his rookie campaign.
