Peyton Manning wins 5th MVP award
— -- Peyton Manning has won his fifth Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award in a landslide.
The Denver Broncos' record-setting quarterback, who threw for 55 touchdowns and 5,477 yards in leading the Broncos to the AFC's best record, earned 49 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league. New England quarterback Tom Brady got the other vote in balloting announced Saturday night.
Manning won his other MVPs with Indianapolis in 2003, '04, '08 and '09. He also was the runner-up last season to Adrian Peterson.
No one else has won more than three NFL MVP awards.
Manning still trails several Hall of Famers for total MVPs in their sport. Wayne Gretzky won nine NHL MVPs, Barry Bonds owns seven in baseball, and Kareem Abdul-Jabbar won six in the NBA.
Earlier, Manning won his second Offensive Player of the Year award, he won his previous one in 2004 and was a runner-up to Peterson for this award as well last season.
Broncos executive John Elway accepted the award on Manning's behalf as the Broncos are preparing to play Seattle on Sunday in the Super Bowl.
Running back LeSean McCoy of Philadelphia was second in the offensive award voting with 10 votes, followed by Kansas City running back Jamaal Charles with four.
The Defensive Player of the Year award went to Luke Kuechly, adding the honor to his top defensive rookie award of 2012.
Carolina's All-Pro linebacker received 19 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league in balloting announced Saturday night. He beat out Indianapolis All-Pro linebacker Robert Mathis, who earned 11½ votes.
Kuechly was credited with 96 tackles for a defense that allowed 241 points, fewer than any team except NFC champion Seattle. He also had four interceptions, two sacks, eight passes defensed, and was a presence from sideline to sideline on the NFL's No. 2 unit.
Two Seahawks All-Pros also drew support in the voting: safety Earl Thomas (7½ votes) and cornerback Richard Sherman (4).
While Kuechly was a rookie of the year in 2012, Green Bay Packers running back Eddie Lacy and New York Jets defensive tackle Sheldon Richardson captured this year's honors for the offense and defense, respectively.
A second-round pick (61st overall) out of Alabama, Lacy was a key performer in the Packers' offense, particularly when star quarterback Aaron Rodgers was sidelined for seven games. He rushed for 1,178 yards on 284 carries (4.1 average), with 11 touchdowns. He also had 35 receptions.
The first Packer to win the award since John Brockington in 1971, Lacy beat out San Diego wide receiver Keenan Allen, who received 12 votes.
He is the first running back to take the offensive rookie honors since Peterson in 2007.
Richardson started every game for the Jets, finishing with 3.5 sacks and 77 tackles, third-most in the league among defensive linemen, according to ESPN Stats & Information.
He won a close race over Buffalo Bills linebacker Kiko Alonso for the honor. Richardson received 23 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members that regularly covers the league. Alonso, a second-round choice (46th overall), got 19 in balloting announced Saturday night.
Richardson became the first Jets player to win the award since linebacker Jonathan Vilma in 2004.
For the first time since 2004, a San Diego Chargers quarterback won the league's Comeback Player of the Year award.
Philip Rivers' turnaround season earned him the honor as he led the Chargers to a wild-card playoff spot with four straight victories to close out the schedule, giving them a 9-7 record. He led the league with a 69.5 completion percentage and threw for 32 TDs against 11 interceptions.
Finishing behind Rivers were Denver running back Knowshon Moreno and Philadelphia left tackle Jason Peters with eight selections apiece. Tampa Bay cornerback Darrelle Revis got six votes.
Drew Brees, the man Rivers replaced, was the Chargers' '04 winner.
Ron Rivera took the Carolina Panthers from also-ran to division champion this season, earning him the Coach of the Year award.
Rivera's Panthers went 12-4 to take the NFC South and get a first-round playoff bye. They lost to San Francisco in the divisional round.
Rivera's fine work in his third season in charge in Carolina brought him 21½ votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the league in balloting announced Saturday night. That outdistanced Kansas City's Andy Reid, who got 13½ votes after his first season with the Chiefs.
Information from ESPN.com Jets reporter Rich Cimini and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
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