The NFL has announced their five finalists for the MVP award for the 2023 and the finalists are pretty much as expected. Four of the five finalists are quarterbacks which furthers the notion that the MVP award has become a quarterback award for whoever did the best at that position, or had the team with the most wins. The only non quarterback to make the finalists is San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffery who had a historic season from the running back position.
The NFL season had many injuries to starting quarterbacks and it was a down year statistically for quarterbacks, and still they fill out 4 of the 5 finalists for the NFL’s most prestigious individual award. Interestingly enough, the best quarterback in the NFL by a mile, Patrick Mahomes was left of the list of finalists as he had his worst year as a starter statistically.
NFL MVP Finalists
It is no surprise that Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens is the leader probability wise to win the award and the first finalist on the board. Lamar is the only unanimous MVP in NFL history and is looking to get a second MVP putting him in a very small group of players to win the award twice.
Lamar finished the regular season with 3,678 yards passing and 821 yards rushing. He had 24 touchdown passes and 5 rushing touchdowns with only 7 interceptions. While he did not have a crazy season statistically by his measures, he played the best at the quarterback position over the year. He also beat some of the best teams and other MVP candidates by multiple scores. If he does not win it will be shocking.
However, none of that matters to him at the moment as he has the biggest game of his career coming up against the defending Super Champion Chiefs with another two time MVP of the league Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce. Lamar does not want the MVP, he is going for the Super Bowl MVP.
San Francisco 49ers Have Two Finalists
The San Francisco 49ers had an amazing year and are getting ready for an NFC championship and are favored to make the Super Bowl. They are the only team in decades to have two finalists for MVP on their team and while both had an opportunity to take home the award, when they got destroyed by the Baltimore Ravens, that didn’t help either of their chances.
Both quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffery made the final list of MVP candidates. For a long part of the year Brock was the favorite to take home the award and McCaffery was the second favorite as the 49ers were rolling through almost every team throughout the year. However, when they got trounced by the other MVP candidate Lamar Jackson, their probability to win the award went way down.
Either way, they are not focused on that at the moment as they are hoping to have the Super Bowl MVP on their team. If they are the team to take home the ultimate prize one of these guys will almost definitely take home the Super Bowl MVP.
Two Other Quarterbacks Round Out The Finalists
The Dallas Cowboys had a great regular season and abysmal post season. Their quarterback Dak Prescott is one of the finalists for MVP as he had one of the best season statistically for the quarterback position. Although there were times that Dak was the favorite to take home the award, their losses to good teams, and his lack of dominance against other candidates makes him a long shot to take home the award.
Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills is also a finalist as after his team started 6-6 they didn’t lose the rest of the way in the regular season. The Buffalo Bills however got bounced by the Chiefs in the divisional round with Allen needing to be superman for them to have a chance in winning that game. Allen is perhaps the most valuable player to his team besides Mahomes, as the Bills lean on Allen more than any other team leans on a specific player. While Allen will probably not take home the award it is probable that he will at some point in his career.
The only surprise here is that Miami Dolphins Tyreek Hill was left of the finalists as he had the best season from a receiver as was on pace at one point in the season to break the record for most receiving yards in a season. While he definitely would not have own the award, him being left off for other quarterbacks shows that this award has become mainly a quarterback award.
Our Partners
Mayfield Sports Marketing
Call Mayfield Sports Marketing at 262-366-8188 to schedule Green Bay Packers players or alumni for your corporate appearance or product promotion. Our booking agents will work on your behalf to get you the best price for your desired sports speaker. Mayfield Sports Marketing has earned a reputation of being the one to call for booking top athletes to speak at events and trade shows. To learn more about Packers players or alumni appearance costs and booking fees, please call us today. www.MayfieldSports.com.
Radtke Sports
Wisconsin Sports Heroics is proud to partner with Radtke Sports to offer autographed memorabilia. Brett Favre, Rob Gronkowski, Giannis Antetokounmpo, and MORE Guaranteed Authentic Collectibles and Memorabilia, including signed jerseys, photos, and more at www.RadtkeSports.com USE promo code: WSH for FREE SHIPPING on your purchase. Some restrictions may apply.