Patrick Mahomes beats out Jalen Hurts for NFL MVP
Mahomes, who will face off with the Eagles Sunday in Super Bowl LVII, won the award for the second time in his young career. Hurts finished second in the voting.
PHOENIX ― Patrick Mahomes is hoping Thursday night will prove to be just an appetizer for what’s to come Sunday.
At the 12th annual NFL Honors, held at the Symphony Hall, the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback was named NFL MVP, marking the second time the 27-year-old has won the league’s most prestigious award. Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was one of four other finalists for the award and finished second in the voting
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Mahomes, who was unable to attend the NFL honors, completed 67% of his passes this season and led the NFL in passing yards with 5,250 and passing touchdowns with 41. His 5,250 passing yards were the fourth-most in a single season in NFL history. He also led the league in QBR at 77.5 and finished second in passer rating (105.2).
“I think it gives you a great appreciation for this sport,” Mahomes said when asked about being a finalist on Wednesday. “All the hard work we put in every single day and playing the last few years and not being up for the award, I think I gained an even greater appreciation. Some day at the end of my career I want to be able to look back and say ‘man, I was able to win MVP once’ and hopefully have a chance to win it again this year.”
Mahomes’ victory, which wasn’t a surprise, comes just three days before his 14-3 Chiefs take on the 14-3 Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. The quarterback, who also won MVP in 2018, becomes just the ninth player in NFL history to win the award multiple times. Peyton Manning holds the all-time record, having been named MVP on five occasions.
Josh Allen, Joe Burrow, and Justin Jefferson finished third, fourth, and fifth in the voting. Mahomes became the 10th straight quarterback to receive the award. Aaron Rodgers had won each of the past two seasons.
Hurts’ MVP case was severely damaged by a shoulder injury he suffered in mid-December against the Chicago Bears. The 24-year-old quarterback missed two games due to the ailment before returning at less than 100% for the season finale against the New York Giants. The Eagles went 14-1 on the season with Hurts in the lineup, with the second-year starter accounting for 4,461 total yards and 35 touchdowns.
Jefferson took home the Offensive Player of Year award, with Mahomes, Hurts, and Tyreek Hill the other finalists.