Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes and New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley were named the 2018 FedEx Air & Ground NFL Players of the Year at the 2019 NFL Honors. Mahomes also won the Most Valuable Player Award.
Patrick Mahomes led the NFL with 50 touchdown passes and joined Peyton Manning and Tom Brady as the only quarterbacks with at least 50 touchdown passes in a single season in NFL history. A 2019 Pro Bowl selection, he ranked second in the NFL with a franchise-record 5,097 passing yards and became the seventh different player in NFL history with 5,000+ pass yards in a single season. In total, Mahomes had seven games with at least four touchdown passes in 2018, the second-most in a single season.
“Awards are awesome,” said Mahomes. “It’s tons of credit to the people around me who put me in this position…my teammates, my coaches, my family. I was blessed to be in a lot of great situations growing up and I’m in a great situation now so it truly is an honor and I’m glad I can be here to accept it.”
Patrick Mahomes – NFL Player of the Year and MVP pic.twitter.com/67PN0ErLa1
— ProPlayerInsiders (@PlayerInsiders) February 3, 2019
Saquon Barkley led the NFL with 2,028 scrimmage yards and joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Eric Dickerson (2,212 scrimmage yards in 1983) and Edgerrin James (2,139 in 1999) as the only rookies with at least 2,000 scrimmage yards in NFL history. A 2019 Pro Bowl selection, Barkley ranked second in the league 1,307 rushing yards and had 91 receptions in 2018, most by a rookie running back in NFL history. “For my name to be underneath this, to win this award and accomplish this, obviously with the help of my teammates and the Giants, is truly amazing,” Barkley said.
AP Offensive Rookie of the Year – Saquon Barkley – “It’s amazing, it’s an honor.” pic.twitter.com/R9yuOw5dih
— ProPlayerInsiders (@PlayerInsiders) February 2, 2019
Mahomes and Barkley were selected from a panel of three finalists from their respective Air and Ground categories. The other FedEx Air NFL Players of the Year finalists were Drew Brees of the New Orleans Saints and Philip Rivers of the Los Angeles Chargers, while the FedEx Ground NFL Players of the Year finalists included Ezekiel Elliott of the Dallas Cowboys and Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams.
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