The NFL announced the five finalists for the Associated Press’ 2022 NFL MVP award on Wednesday, and three of them will be playing in Sunday’s conference championship games.
Quarterbacks Joe Burrow, Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts and Josh Allen are four of the finalists. Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was the only non-quarterback to be named a finalist.
Burrow and Mahomes will be dueling in the AFC Championship on Sunday, while Hurts will face Offensive Rookie of the Year finalist Brock Purdy in the NFC Championship. Jefferson’s Vikings were eliminated in the wild card round, and Allen’s Buffalo Bills lost to the Cincinnati Bengals last week.
The MVP award traditionally ends up going to a quarterback. Running back Adrian Peterson is the only non-quarterback to win the award since 2007, according to Forbes.
No wide receiver has ever won the award, and only three players that weren’t a quarterback or running back have won it: Lawrence Taylor, Mark Moseley and Alan Page, according to Pro Football Reference. Taylor and Page are both in the Pro Football Hall of Fame.
Mahomes, the only finalist who has previously won MVP, led the league in touchdowns with 41, and Burrow and Allen tied for second with 35, according to ESPN. Hurts missed two games but still threw for 22 touchdowns and rushed for 13.
Jefferson led the league in receiving yards with 1,809, falling 155 yards shy of Hall of Famer Calvin Johnson’s single-season receiving yard record.
Hurts, Mahomes and Jefferson are also finalists for the AP Offensive Player of the Year, as is Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Award winners will be announced Feb. 9 during the “NFL Honors” ceremony, which can be watched on NBC or Peacock. A panel of 50 media members that cover the NFL decide the winners, according to The Associated Press.
In addition to the MVP and Offensive Player of the Year finalists, the following NFL award finalists were announced Wednesday, per NFL.com:
AP Defensive Player of the Year
- 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa
- Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones
- Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year
- 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy
- Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III
- Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson
AP Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner
- Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson
- Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen
AP Comeback Player of the Year
- Giants running back Saquon Barkley
- 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey
- Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith
AP Coach of the Year
- Brian Daboll of the New York Giants
- Sean McDermott of the Buffalo Bills
- Doug Pederson of the Jacksonville Jaguars
- Kyle Shanahan of the San Francisco 49ers
- Nick Sirianni of the Philadelphia Eagles
AP Assistant Coach of the Year
- Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson
- 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans
- Eagles offensive coordinator Shane Steichen