Allen, Saquon, Lamar among AP NFL MVP finalists
Written by I Dig SportsJosh Allen, Saquon Barkley, Joe Burrow, Jared Goff and Lamar Jackson are finalists for The Associated Press 2024 NFL Most Valuable Player award.
Barkley, Burrow and Jackson also are finalists for Offensive Player of the Year and Burrow is also in the running for Comeback Player of the Year.
The winners will be announced at NFL Honors on Feb. 6. A nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league completed voting before the playoffs began.
Here are the finalists, in alphabetical order, for the eight AP NFL awards:
Barkley ran for 2,005 yards (the eighth-best total in NFL history). He sat out Philadelphia's final regular-season game when he needed 101 yards to break Eric Dickerson's single-season record. Barkley helped the Eagles win the NFC East and advance to the conference championship game.
Burrow led the NFL with a career-high 4,918 yards passing and 43 TDs, but the Cincinnati Bengals finished 9-8 and missed the playoffs.
Goff threw for 4,629 yards, 37 TDs and nine interceptions and led Detroit to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. The Lions were eliminated in the divisional round by Washington.
Jackson, the reigning winner, is seeking his third MVP award after leading the Ravens to an AFC North title. Jackson had career highs with 4,172 yards passing, 41 TDs (to just four interceptions) and a 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. He was a first-team All-Pro for the third time and also ran for 915 yards and four TDs. The Ravens were knocked out of the divisional round by Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Chase won the receiving triple crown, leading the league with 127 receptions, 1,708 yards and 17 TDs. The Bengals star wide receiver was a unanimous selection for All-Pro.
Henry, the 2020 Offensive Player of the Year, had 1,921 yards rushing and 16 TDs in his first season with the Ravens.
All-Pro edge rusher Myles Garrett, the reigning Defensive Player of the Year, had 14 sacks for the Cleveland Browns.
Bengals All-Pro edge rusher Trey Hendrickson led the NFL with 17 sacks.
Broncos All-Pro cornerback Patrick Surtain II allowed just 37 receptions and had four picks, and opposing quarterbacks had a 61.1 passer rating throwing against him
Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt, the 2021 winner, had 11 sacks and forced six fumbles.
Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels led his team to an eight-win improvement and has it one win away from a Super Bowl appearance. He threw for 3,568 yards and 25 TDs and posted a 100.1 rating. Daniels also ran for 891 yards and six scores.
Giants receiver Malik Nabers had 109 catches for 1,204 yards and seven TDs.
Broncos QB Bo Nix helped the team reach the playoffs for the first time in nine years. He had 3,775 yards passing, 29 TDs and 12 picks and ran for 430 yards and four scores.
Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr. caught 87 passes for 1,282 yards and 10 TDs.
Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske led the team and all rookies with 8 sacks. He had 51 pressures, two forced fumbles and recoveries, 10 tackles for loss and 10 quarterback hits.
Eagles cornerback Quinyon Mitchell allowed 40 receptions and had nine pass breakups, and quarterbacks had an 87 passer rating against him.
Dolphins edge Chop Robinson had six sacks, 20 pressures and eight tackles for loss.
Rams edge Jared Verse had 4 sacks but led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He also had 11 tackles for loss.
Campbell guided the Lions (15-3) to the NFC's No. 1 seed. Connell led the Vikings (14-4) to the playoffs despite losing Kirk Cousins in free agency and rookie quarterback J.J. McCarthy to a season-ending knee injury in training camp.
Payton helped the Broncos (10-8) overcome salary-cap woes stemming from the decision to release Russell Wilson and ended a nine-year playoff drought.
Quinn took over a 4-13 team and turned the Commanders into a 12-win playoff team.
Reid had the Chiefs (16-2) back atop the AFC as the No. 1 seed in a quest for a third straight Super Bowl victory.