Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen also listed as finalists for league MVP; Nick Bosa and Micah Parsons up for defensive player of the year; San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy is a candidate to win offensive rookie of the year honours
Friday 27 January 2023 16:08, UK
Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Justin Jefferson are listed among the finalists for The Associated Press' Most Valuable Player and Offensive Player of the Year awards.
The winners will be announced at the NFL Honors event on February 9 ahead during Super Bowl week, three days prior to Super Bowl LVII in Arizona on February 12.
Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow - set to face Mahomes' Kansas City Chiefs in this Sunday's AFC Championship game, live on Sky Sports NFL, from 11.30pm - and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen are also listed as finalists for league MVP.
A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed the voting before the start of the playoffs in January.
Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, helped Kansas City to a 14-3 record in the regular season, earning the Chiefs the No 1 seed in the AFC. Mahomes led the NFL with 5,250 yards passing and 41 TDs. He received 49 of 50 votes for AP first-team All-Pro.
Philadelphia Eagles QB Hurts had 3,701 yards passing, 760 yards rushing and 35 touchdowns combined in leading the Eagles to a 14-3 record in the regular season and the No 1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday in the NFC championship game - live on Sky Sports NFL from 8pm.
Minnesota Vikings star Jefferson is the only wide receiver named among the MVP finalists, having led the NFL with 128 catches and 1,809 yards receiving in his third season in the league. Jefferson was one of two unanimous choices for AP All-Pro along with Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
San Francisco edge rusher Nick Bosa, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons are the finalists for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.
Bosa led the NFL with 18 and a half sacks in 2022, Jones had 15 and a half, and Parsons 14 and a half in just his second year in the league..
Brian Daboll, Doug Pederson and Kyle Shanahan are the three finalists for AP Coach of the Year.
Daboll led the New York Giants to a 9-7-1 record in his first season as head coach, Pederson guided the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 9-8 record and an AFC South title in his first year with the team, while Shanahan led the 49ers to a 13-4 mark and ultimately to the NFC Championship game this Sunday.
San Francisco's quarterback Brock Purdy is also in the running for an award, the seventh-round draft pick among the finalists named for AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, along with Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III and New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson.
Purdy earned the affectionally titled nickname of 'Mr. Irrelevant', as the last player selected in the draft - an NFL tradition since 1976 - but he finds himself on the cusp of becoming the first rookie QB to ever appear in a Super Bowl and potentially the first to win one.
Having started the season as third-string QB, Purdy stepped in after injuries to starter Trey Lance and backup Jimmy Garoppolo. He led San Francisco to a 5-0 record down the stretch as a starter and has since secured successive wins in the playoffs to book a trip to Philadelphia for the NFC Championship game.
Seahawks running back Walker led all rookies with 1,050 yards rushing and nine TDs, while Wilson led all rookies with 83 catches and 1,103 yards receiving.
Jets cornerback Ahmad 'Sauce' Gardner, Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen are the finalists for AP Defensive Rookie of the Year.
Giants running back Saquon Barkley, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith are the finalists for AP Comeback Player of the Year.
Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans and Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen are the finalists for AP Assistant Coach of the Year.
This was the first year for the AP's new voting system. Voters chose a top five for MVP and top three for all other awards. For MVP, first-place votes were worth 10 points. Second through fifth-place votes were worth five, three, two and one points.
For all the other awards, first-place votes equalled five points, second were three and third were one.
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