Two Chiefs are winners of annual NFL 101 Awards, joining Jalen Hurts, other honorees
The Committee of 101 on Tuesday announced its annual list of NFL award winners, a talented lineup that includes two Kansas City Chiefs players.
According to a news release, the league recipients, as voted upon by 101 members of the national media, selected the following:
- AFC Coach of the Year: Doug Pederson, Jacksonville Jaguars
- NFC Coach of the Year: Brian Daboll, New York Giants
- AFC Offensive Player of the Year: Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes
- AFC Defensive Player of the Year: Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones
- NFC Offensive Player of the Year: Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts
- NFC Defensive Player of the Year: San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa
Mahomes, a front-runner for the NFL’s MVP Award, led the league in passing yards (5,250, also a franchise record) and touchdown passes (41), connecting on a career-high 67.1% of his throws. He also rushed for 358 yards with a career-high four touchdowns on 61 carries.
Mahomes became the first quarterback in league history to throw for 5,000-plus yards and rush for 350-plus yards in a single season.
Jones, meanwhile, produced 15.5 sacks, matching his career high from 2018. He also led the Chiefs’ defense with a team-high 29 quarterback hits while racking up a career-best 44 tackles, two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. With Jones leading the way, the Chiefs’ defense totaled 55 sacks, the second-highest mark in the league this season.
Mahomes and Jones recently garnered first-team All Pro honors, as announced by The Associated Press.
Hurts, who like Mahomes is in the running for NFL MVP, helped lead the Eagles to an NFC-best 14-3 record and No. 1 seed in the postseason. The dual-threat quarterback passed for 3,701 yards and 22 touchdowns with six interceptions, adding 760 yards rushing and 13 touchdowns on 161 carries. Hurts’ 35 total touchdowns led the NFC and he was a second-team All-Pro selection.
Bosa produced a league-high 18.5 sacks, earning first-team All-Pro honors. He also finished the regular season with 51 tackles, 48 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles and a pass defensed.
Pederson engineered a worst-to-first place finish for the Jaguars in his first season, guiding Jacksonville to a 9-8 record in the AFC South and a postseason win before losing to the Chiefs in the AFC Divisional Round.
Daboll guided the Giants to a 9-7-1 record in the NFC East and a postseason berth in his first season. The Giants advanced to the NFL Divisional Round before losing to the Eagles.
Pederson and Daboll have ties to the Chiefs. Pederson served as an offensive coordinator on Andy Reid’s staff from 2013-15, while Daboll was the Chiefs’ offensive coordinator in 2012 under then-head coach Romeo Crennel.
The 101 Awards recipients are scheduled to be honored on Saturday, Feb. 25, at the Westin Crown Center Hotel in Kansas City.
The 53rd annual 101 Awards event concludes with the presentation of the Lamar Hunt Award for Professional Football, which was created in 2008 to honor the life and legacy of the Chiefs’ founder. That award, whose recipient will be unveiled a later date, “recognizes an individual or group that has made significant contributions to the NFL and its status as the preeminent pro sports league in America,” according to a news release.
This story was originally published January 24, 2023 at 12:23 PM.
