The finalists for the AP’s 2022 NFL Most Valuable Player Award were announced Wednesday, and three of those players will play in the league’s championship game this Sunday.
Bills QB Josh Allen and Vikings WR Justin Jefferson two finalists Already out of the playoffs, but Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Bengals quarterback Joe Bro and Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts will all play weekend for a chance to earn their teams No. Five Super Bowl berths.
AFC Championship game will feature Mahomes and Burrow on Sunday night, both have MVP candidates
Mahomes is in the running to win his second career MVP award, having previously won it in the 2018 season. This year, Mahomes completed career highs with 5,250 passing yards and 358 rushing yards, led the league in passing yards and passing touchdowns (41), and led the league in quarterback rating (105.2) ranked second.
Burrow’s Bengals got off to a bad start to the season, but are now in the AFC Championship Game, haven’t lost a game since Halloween and have the best regular-season record under Burrow at center . Burrow ranks in the top five this year in passing yards (4,475), touchdowns (35) and completion percentage (68.3), the latter two in the NFL.
“He deserves it,” Cincinnati head coach Zach Taylor said of his quarterbacks being shortlisted for the award. The kind of guy who should be in the conversation. “I’ve said it a million times, we’re lucky to have him.
On the NFC side of the playoffs, Hertz said Wednesday he was “overwhelmed” by what he said when he heard he was named a finalist.
“It’s a cool honor,” he said.
Injury is a 14-1 starter for the Eagles this season and has a career-high 3,701 passing yards despite missing two games late in the season with a shoulder sprain yards, 22 passing touchdowns and 13 rushing touchdowns.
“His work speaks for itself. He’s had a phenomenal year,” Eagles head coach Nick Siliani said Wednesday.
The first priority for these three players will be Sunday’s championship game, with a chance to appear in the Super Bowl. Only then will the NFL Honors Ceremony on Feb. 9, where one of the five finalists will receive one of the sport’s highest honors.
