Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen on Thursday was named the NFL’s Most Valuable Player (MVP) at the NFL Honors ceremony at the Saenger Theatre in front of a packed house of players, alumni and celebrities.
Allen edged Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson for MVP in a tight vote, receiving 27 first-place votes, with Jackson getting the other 23.
The Coach of the Year was the Minnesota Vikings’ Kevin O’Connell, Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley was selected the Offensive Player of the Year and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was chosen as the Defensive Player of the Year.
Photo: AP
Allen, 28, led the Bills to a 13-4 record and the No. 2 seed in the American Football Conference, throwing 3,731 yards and 28 touchdowns against just six interceptions. He also ran for 531 yards and 12 touchdowns on 102 carries.
Jackson, 28, threw for 4,172 yards and 41 touchdowns with four interceptions, and he rushed for 915 yards and four scores. He was the MVP in 2019 and 2023.
“I admire you guys,” Allen said, acknowledging Jackson and the other finalists. “I know this is an individual award, but I think it’s derived from team success. I’m so fortunate to be part of a great organization.”
Photo: AP
Allen was previously the MVP runner-up in 2020, a three-time Pro-Bowler (2020, 2022, 2024) and the 2020 Pro Football Writers of America (PFWA) Most Improved Player.
Over seven seasons in Buffalo, Allen has thrown for more than 26,000 yards with 195 touchdowns and added another 4,142 yards and 65 touchdowns rushing.
The seventh overall selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Allen has led the Bills to the playoffs six straight seasons and to the AFC Championship Game twice, including this past season.
In just his third season as a head coach, O’Connell guided the Vikings to a 14-3 record, tied for the second-best record in the National Football Conference.
Minnesota overachieved last year, according to most observers, sprinting out to a 5-0 start and following that with a nine-game winning streak to get to 14-2.
O’Connell pushed a lot of the right buttons, from throwing his weight behind new starter Sam Darnold at quarterback to continuing to find ways to utilize his other offensive weapons in creative ways.
Barkley was a phenomenon this season, rushing for a career-best and league-leading 2,005 regular-season yards. He is on the precipice of setting the record for total rushing yards (regular and post-season), sitting at 2,447 yards after a monstrous playoff run, just 30 yards shy of eclipsing the mark set by Terrell Davis in 1998.
Surtain, in his second season as a first-team All-Pro performer, is widely regarded as one of the premier cover cornerbacks in the league at the age of 24.
A four-year pro and three-time Pro Bowler, Surtain also was named the PFWA Defensive Player of the Year.
Other honors handed out on Thursday included: Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels as Offensive Rookie of the Year and winner of the Next Gen Stats Moment of the Year; Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow as Comeback Player of the Year; San Francisco 49ers tight end George Kittle winning the Salute to Service Award; Los Angeles Rams tight end Jared Verse as Defensive Rookie of the Year; Jacksonville Jaguars defensive end Arik Armstead as Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year; and Allen and Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase as Players of the Year.
The Super Bowl is scheduled for Monday morning, Taiwan time.
Additional reporting by staff writer
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