Buffalo, N.Y. (WGR 550) - The National Football League announced on Wednesday its finalists for the 2022 NFL Honors that will be announced on Thursday, Feb. 9 at 9 p.m. EST.
The Buffalo Bills have a pair of prominent figures that were named finalists for awards this past season in the NFL.
Starting with quarterback Josh Allen, the 26-year-old was named one of five finalists for the 2022 AP Most Valuable Player Award. It is the second time Allen has been named a finalist for NFL MVP, finishing second in voting behind Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2020.
Allen's 2022 campaign got off to a hot start in Buffalo, as he went 5-1 under center before the bye week, completing 67.0% of his passing attempts for 1,980 yards, 17 touchdowns and just four interceptions. He also added 257 yards on the ground and two rushing scores.
However, over the final 10 games of his 2022 season, Allen struggled, at times, while also battling through a right elbow injury suffered during a Week 9 loss to the New York Jets. Since the Week 7 bye, Allen led the Bills to an 8-2 record, while completing just 60.7% of his pass attempts for 2,303 yards, 18 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also added 505 yards rushing and another five touchdowns.
In terms of overall passing stats in the NFL, Allen's 4,283 passing yards ranked him seventh among all quarterbacks, his 35 passing touchdowns tied him for second in the league, but his 14 interceptions were one away from tying the worst mark in the NFL.
Among the other finalists for NFL MVP this season includes quarterback Joe Burrow (Cincinnati Bengals), quarterback Patrick Mahomes (Kansas City Chiefs), quarterback Jalen Hurts (Philadelphia Eagles) and wide receiver Justin Jefferson (Minnesota Vikings).
Meanwhile, head coach Sean McDermott has also been recognized by the NFL this season as a finalist for the 2022 AP Coach of the Year.
The sixth-year head coach helped lead the Bills to a 13-3 record in 2022, while also leading his squad through a number of adverse situations before and during the year.
This season marks the third time McDermott has been named a finalist for Coach of the Year. Back in 2019, McDermott finished fourth in voting, while in 2020 he finished second in voting.
Over his six seasons at the helm in Buffalo, McDermott has a regular season record of 62-35, but only as a 4-5 record in the playoffs.
The other finalists for the Coach of the Year honor in 2022 are Kyle Shanahan (San Francisco 49ers), Doug Pederson (Jacksonville Jaguars), and Western New York natives Nick Sirianni (Philadelphia Eagles) and Brian Daboll (New York Giants).
