Jalen Hurts, Patrick Mahomes and Justin Jefferson are all in the running for league MVP in 2022
With the 2022 regular season still two weeks away from its conclusion and the Super Bowl champions not being crowned until mid-February, we welcome Sunday 2023…and what better way to ring in the new year than to speculate on who will be crowned league MVP in the NFL?
Here, we’ve picked out the top five league contenders in the running this season, with additional input on each prospect from NBC analyst and former NFL quarterback Chris Simms.
“It’s been one of the most interesting years we’ve had in a while in terms of MVP talk,” Simms said on Pro Football Talk (Sky Sports NFL, weekdays, 6 p.m.). With the winner not announced until after the NFL Honors awards ceremony during Super Bowl week, who do you have to beat this year?
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
Check out the best plays of the 2022 NFL season so far from MVP prospect Jalen Hurts
The Eagles currently hold the NFL’s best record, at 13-2 with two weeks to go, with Hurts – out for the second of those losses, against the Dallas Cowboys last week, with a sprained shoulder – a key to their success.
Hurts has 3,472 passing yards this season, to go with 22 touchdowns and just five interceptions. Add that to 747 rushing yards (third among QBs) and 13 rushing scores (tied for second in the NFL) and it’s easy to see why the third-year quarterback is considered one of the leading 2022 league MVP contenders.
Simm : “I don’t think you should take the MVP away from anyone if they’ve only missed one game. I don’t think that should influence it.
“If you’re going to vote for Jalen Hurts, then you should vote for Jalen Hurts. He did a very good job, had a great year. He’s a hell of a player, the leader of this football team.
“I understand how the league MVP award works, but to me he’s not necessarily the most valuable player in football. It’s more that they are a phenomenal team – not that I want to diminish their accomplishments this year.”
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City chefs
A look at some of Patrick Mahomes’ best plays this season, in his bid for his second MVP award
After leading the Chiefs to a seventh consecutive AFC West Division title, Mahomes is the favorite of many to earn a second MVP gong in his first five seasons as a starting quarterback in the NFL, having also won in 2018.
The 27-year-old has already notched a fourth career year with over 4,500 passing yards and 35 touchdowns, with league-leading 4,720 and 37 in 2022. Only Tom Brady, and his long career of two decades, had more these seasons (five).
Mahomes also needs just 522 more offensive yards in Kansas City’s last two games to see him pass Drew Brees (5,562 in 2011) for the most in NFL history.
As much as a second league MVP award is in his sights, it’s a second Super Bowl ring he’ll really be eyeing in mid-February.
Simm : “Mahomes, this year he’s been phenomenal – again, he’s got some of the most phenomenal plays of the year.
“I could say in many ways that he’s been better this year than the year he won MVP. The Chiefs may not be as explosive, so he had to be more efficient. And their defense is a bit of a concern, so it’s still up to him to score 30 points every week.
“He made corrections to his game and got caught up in a lot of great moments. It too often makes “panic mode” easy.
“Of course he wants the Super Bowl, but he also wants the MVP. It’s all part of the resume that measures you against the Bradys. [Peyton] Mannings, le [Aaron] Rodgers and all those guys.”
Josh Allen, Buffalo Bills
Watch the best plays of an incredible 2022 season by Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen
The Bills quarterback Allen is second to Mahomes in total yards (4,775) and touchdowns (39) this season, with much of his significant success being on the field.
Allen mows down defenders like no other, a formidable QB ram whose 746 rushing yards in 2022 ranks him fourth among QBs. And that’s not to forget the absolute one-arm cannon he possesses, with the Bills riding him to a 12-3 record this season to see them currently in possession of the No. 1 of the AFC.
A torrid start to the season marked him as the man to beat, although his 13 interceptions – tied for second in the league – may have hurt his stock.
Simm : “Il [Allen] doesn’t have the same supporting cast that Jalen Hurts has in Philadelphia. It’s the same for Mahomes too. They don’t have one of the best defenses in football, the best offensive line.
“How can you not look at the Bills and say, ‘Oh my god, what would this team be without this guy?’ .
“That’s where I look at him and Mahomes and favor them in this MVP conversation. You take them away from the Bills or the Chiefs and there’s a big drop.”
Justin Jefferson, Vikings you Minnesota
A look at Justin Jefferson’s best catches this season, arguably the only wide receiver to scream for the MVP award
No receiver in NFL history has ever been named the league MVP. No wide has ever exceeded 2,000 yards in a season, either… but Vikings superstar Jefferson might be about to change all that.
Jefferson leads the NFL in both receptions (123) and receptions (1,756) — both career highs — in 2022, with the 23-year-old needing 122 yards to average in Minnesota’s last two games to reach the top 2k, while 104.5 per game would see him break Calvin Johnson’s previous single-season record of 1,964 set in 2012 with the Detroit Lions.
It may seem like a tall order, but Jefferson has eclipsed 100 yards in 24 of his 48 NFL career games, at a rate of 50% – wiping out the highest percentage held by future Hall of Famer Julio Jones (38 ,6).
Simm : “Jefferson is the most likely non-quarterback to emerge. He’s the most valuable asset to this Vikings team, and I always love that we come back to that conversation, ‘who really is the most valuable player?’
“You have to throw it into the conversation and legitimately think about it. I don’t know what Minnesota would be without Jefferson? It’s remarkable almost every week from him.”
Joe Burrow, Bengals de Cincinnati
A look at some of Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow’s best plays
Burrow, just as he did when he led the Bengals to the Super Bowl last season, may tend to fly under the radar – somewhat drowned out by the noise created by Mahomes and Allen battling in front of him in the AFC.
He’s second to Mahomes in passing yards (4,260) and touchdowns (34) this season, but if you strip out Cincinnati’s surprise 0-2 start, it’s Burrow who actually leads the league in the latter category. , with 31 passing touchdowns since the week. Three.
Burrow and the Bengals are the NFL’s form horse, and they could still steal the conference’s No. 1 seed under the noses of Mahomes and Allen, with a win over Buffalo on Monday night and a Chiefs loss seeing them both jump.
Simm : “Throw Burrow into this conversation. Is it crazy to say the Bengals are the best team in the AFC? I do not think so.
“They’ve beaten the Chiefs three times in a row and they’re going to play the Bills this week. I wouldn’t count it either [for league MVP] if he comes out in some of those big games over the last two weeks.”
Sky Sports NFL brings you FOUR live games over New Years weekend; Dolphins @ Patriots kick off New Year’s Eve festivities at 6pm, while there’s also RedZone on Sky Sports Mix on Sunday night; Vikings @ Packers and Steelers @ Ravens complete Sunday’s triple draft with Bills @ Bengals starting at 1:30 a.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 3.
