Hurts, Jefferson, Mahomes among MVP finalists

Jalen Hurts, Justin Jefferson and Patrick Mahomes are finalists for The Associated Press 2022 NFL MVP and Offensive Player of the Year awards.

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow also are finalists for MVP.

Hurts had 3,701 passing yards, 760 rushing yards and 35 combined touchdowns while leading the Philadelphia Eagles to a 14-3 record in the regular season and the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Eagles are in the NFC Championship Game for the second time in six seasons.

Jefferson led the NFL with 128 catches and 1,809 receiving yards in his third season with the Minnesota Vikings. He was one of two unanimous choices for AP All-Pro along with Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.

Mahomes, the 2018 NFL MVP, helped Kansas City go 14-3 to earn the No. 1 seed in the AFC. The Chiefs are in the AFC title game for the fifth straight season and will host the Bengals on Sunday. Mahomes led the NFL with 5,250 passing yards and 41 touchdowns. He received 49 of 50 votes for AP first-team All-Pro.

San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa, Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones and Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons are the finalists for Defensive Player of the Year. Bosa led the NFL with 18½ sacks, Jones had 15½ and Parsons got 14½.

Brian Daboll, Doug Pederson and Kyle Shanahan are the finalists for Coach of the Year. Daboll led the New York Giants to a 9-7-1 record in his first season as coach. Pederson guided the Jacksonville Jaguars to a 9-8 record and an AFC South title in his first year with the team. Shanahan led the 49ers to a 13-4 mark, going 5-0 down the stretch with third-string rookie quarterback Brock Purdy.

Purdy, Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III and New York Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson are the finalists for Offensive Rookie of the Year.

Purdy, the final player selected in the 2022 draft, began the season as the third-string quarterback and stepped in after injuries to Trey Lance and Jimmy Garoppolo. He led San Francisco to a 5-0 record to finish the regular season, two playoff wins and an appearance in the NFC Championship Game at Philadelphia.

Walker led all rookies with 1,050 rushing yards and nine touchdowns. Wilson led all rookies with 83 catches and 1,103 receiving yards.

Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner, Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson and Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen are the finalists for Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Giants running back Saquon Barkley, 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith are the finalists for 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 Assistant Coach of the Year.

The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 9. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the start of the playoffs.

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 was worth 10 points. Second- through fifth-place votes were worth 5, 3, 2 and 1 points.

For all the other awards, first-place votes equaled 5 points, second were 3, and third were 1.

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