Finalists for AP's NFL MVP award revealed

On Thursday, the Associated Press revealed the five candidates who are now finalists for the NFL’s MVP award for the 2023 season. The group includes four quarterbacks and one running back, and two from the same team.

This year’s MVP race comes down to San Francisco 49ers stars Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen and Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott. The winners of the last 10 NFL MVP awards have all been quarterbacks, including Jackson who won in 2019. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes took the top prize last season.

The AP will announce the winner of the Most Valuable Player award on Feb. 8, 2023. The winner is announced during the 13th annual NFL honors ceremony, which will air live on CBS and NFL Network and stream on Paramount+ and NFL+.

49ers QB Brock Purdy

Leading his 49ers to the NFC conference championship game once again, quarterback Brock Purdy has had the best season of his very short NFL career this year. He posted 4,280 passing yards with a 69.4% completion rate and a 31-to-11 touchdown-to-interception ratio.

49ers RB Christian McCaffrey

No NFL running back had more yards this season than 49ers star Christian McCaffrey. He led the field by more than 250 yards as he totaled 1,459 yards in 16 games with 14 touchdowns. In the best season of his career yet, he also added 564 receiving yards and seven more touchdowns.

Ravens QB Lamar Jackson

The all-out favorite to win the award, Lamar Jackson led the Ravens to the AFC’s No. 1 seed and is now headed for a home conference championship game against the Chiefs. In his sixth season, he posted the highest completion percentage of his career at 67.2% and the most passing yards as well, 3,678. He had 24 passing touchdowns, 7 interceptions, 821 rushing yards and an additional five rushing touchdowns.

Bills QB Josh Allen

As he took the Bills to the second round of the playoffs, Josh Allen had one of his best seasons yet for Buffalo. He had 4,306 passing yards, a career-high 29 touchdown passes, and 18 interceptions, as well as 524 yards and 15 touchdowns rushing.

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott fizzled in the playoffs but had the best season of his career yet with Dallas in 2023. He posted career highs in passing touchdowns (36), which also led the league, and had the best completion percentage of his career (69.7%). He ended the regular season with 4,516 passing yards, nine interceptions, 242 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

The Las Vegas odds for the league MVP have shifted dramatically throughout the 2023 season. Now, it appears the odds have stabilized and there is one clear front-runner – Lamar Jackson. Jackson has -20000 odds, compared to Prescott (+1600), Purdy (+2500), Allen (+3000), and McCaffrey (+5000).