Jackson wins second NFL MVP award
Lamar Jackson was a nearunanimous choice for his second AP NFL Most Valuable Player award announced at NFL Honors on Thursday (Friday in Manila).
Baltimore’s All-Pro quarterback received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players and coaches.
Jackson led the Ravens (14-5) to the NFL’s best record in the regular season, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game. The 27-year-old Jackson is the fourth player to win his second MVP before turning 28, joining Patrick Mahomes (27), Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).
San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey ran away with the AP Offensive Player of the Year award. Cleveland Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett beat out T.J. Watt for AP Defensive Player of the Year. Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud won the AP Offensive Rookie of the Year award in a landslide. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., Stroud’s teammate, won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award, outgaining both Jalen Carter and Kobie Turner by two first-place votes.
The Browns took home four awards. Quarterback Joe Flacco, who came off the couch to lead Cleveland to the playoffs, won the AP Comeback Player of the Year. Kevin Stefanski edged Houston coach DeMeco Ryans for AP Coach of the Year honors by one first-place vote. Defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award after guiding the league’s No. 1 ranked unit.
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen got the other first-place vote and finished fifth overall in voting. Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott was second with 152 points. McCaffrey came in third with 147 points and teammate Brock Purdy was fourth with 97.
Jackson threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 821 yards and five scores while leading Baltimore to a record 10 wins over teams that finished with a winning record. He helped the Ravens rout Houston in the divisional round but struggled in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.
McCaffrey, San Francisco’s AllPro running back, received 39 of 50 first-place votes for OPOY and earned 222 points, outpacing Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill.
Garrett, Cleveland’s All-Pro edge rusher, received 23 first-place votes and 165 points to Watt’s 19 first-place votes and 140 points for DPOY.
Stroud received 48 of 50 firstplace votes for OROY with Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua getting the other two.
Anderson and Stroud are the fourth teammates to win the offensive and defensive rookie awards in the same season. Garrett Wilson and Sauce Gardner swept the awards last year for the New York Jets.
Flacco beat out Bills safety Damar Hamlin and Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield for the comeback award. He received 13 first-place votes, 26 second-place votes and eight thirds to finish with 151 points.
Hamlin returned to the NFL this season after collapsing on the field and needing to be resuscitated following a cardiac arrest on Jan. 2, 2023. He played in five regular-season games. Hamlin received 21 first-place votes but appeared on 42 of 50 ballots while Flacco was on 47. He got seven second-place votes and 14 thirds for 140 points.
Mayfield, who bounced around from the Browns to the Panthers to the Rams last season, started every game for Tampa Bay and led them to the second round of the playoffs. He got 10 first-place votes and finished with 93 points.
Flacco, the 39-year-old former Super Bowl MVP, was home in New Jersey with his family when Cleveland called him in November. He went 4-1 in five starts and passed for over 300 yards in four straight games with 13 touchdowns.
Others receiving first-place votes were: Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (4), Rams QB Matthew Stafford (1) and 49ers QB Brock Purdy (1).