Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was named league MVP in an overwhelming vote over Jalen Hurts. An Eagle has never won the MVP.
Mahomes earned 48 of 50 first-place votes while runner-up Hurts and Bills quarterback Josh Allen each had one first-place vote. This is Mahomes’ second MVP, his first coming in 2018.
The Eagles were shut out from the awards, which were announced Thursday night. Here are the winners:
- Giants’ Brian Daboll, Coach of the Year. Nick Sirianni was a finalist, as was Jaguars coach Doug Pederson.
- Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott, Walter Payton Man of the Year. Brandon Graham was the Eagles’ candidate for this prestigious honor.
- Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith, Comeback Player of the Year
- Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson, Offensive Player of the Year
- 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, Defensive Player of the Year
- 49ers defensive coordinator DeMeco Ryans, Assistant Coach of the Year. Ryans is the new head coach of the Texans
- Jets wide receiver Garrett Wilson, Offensive Rookie of the Year.
- Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner, Defensive Rookie of the Year
The last MVP winner to win the Super Bowl in the same year was the Rams’ Kurt Warner in 1999.
ANDY REID ON HURTS
Chiefs coach Andy Reid, a quarterback guru, on Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts:
- “First of all, Jalen’s a good kid, so he’s fit in very well with that team. He’s one of the leaders on that team if not the main leader, and his play has proven out to be very, very good.
- “He’ll do nothing but get better with time. That’s just how it works at that position. It looks like he’s in complete control of that offense. A real tribute to the kid.”
DEVON ALLEN UPDATE
Maybe you forgot about wide receiver and Olympics hurdler Devon Allen, but the Eagles haven’t.
Allen has been on the practice squad since Aug. 31, after his spectacular, 55-yard touchdown catch against the Browns in the preseason. Allen displayed his world-class speed on that play and fans legitimately wondered if he had a place on the Eagles.
- “He’s a special athlete, as we all know,” Sirianni said this week at the Super Bowl. “He has this unbelievable speed that really shined in the preseason game against Cleveland and then he made a couple of plays as a gunner.
- “He’s really worked hard at it and he’s this world-class athlete that really wants to give football a shot.
- “We’re just not keeping him around because he’s been to the Olympics. We’re keeping him around because we think he can develop into a good player and he’s done that.
- “He’s continuing to develop himself week-in, week-out. He’s showing up on our scout team tape that we show to our guys — hey, watch Devon here do this. He’s won scout team player of the week a couple of times.
- “So he’s done a really nice job of really going after a goal that I know is important to him — of being a football player.”
MOCKING IT UP
There are mock drafts everywhere, including on iggles.com (https://www.iggles.com/eagles-2023-nfl-mock-draft/)
In The Athletic’s mock draft, writer Diante Lee predicts the Eagles will select at No. 10 Kelee Ringo, cornerback, Georgia. This pick comes from the Saints.
- Lee writes: “This pick is icing on the cake for a Philadelphia team that has seemed to do everything right from last spring on.
- “The play of cornerback James Bradberry probably makes him too expensive … but Kelee Ringo could fit right into the space Bradberry would leave behind.
- “Ringo is built like a strong safety of decades prior at 200-plus pounds and 6-foot-2, his speed scores will be at or near the top of his position group and he’s every bit the press corner you’d want in today’s league.
- “Philadelphia could use him on bigger bodies and leave Darius Slay to deal with shiftier outside receivers.”
With their own pick, at 30th or 31st, the Eagles will select LSU wide receiver Kayshon Boutte, according to Lee.
Lee writes: “Philadelphia shouldn’t have much of an immediate need to address here, so this pick may be trade bait for GM Howie Roseman … Boutte is an enigma in this class, because you can see all the potential in the world, but it’s hard to find consistent production.”
STAT OF THE DAY
My friend and former Daily News colleague Bob Vetrone Jr. (@BoopStats), passed along this stat.
In the previous 56 Super Bowls, not one of the 112 teams went through the playoffs without a turnover.
Going into Sunday, the Eagles have zero turnovers in this year’s playoffs.
BET ON IT
Don’t know for sure, but I’d bet Nick Sirianni is using as motivation for his team the fact he was fired by Andy Reid back in 2012, when Big Red became the Chiefs’ head coach.
