By Rob Maaddi

AP Pro Football Writer

PHOENIX —  Patrick Mahomes dominated the voting for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award. Now, he’ll try to break the MVP curse.

Mahomes, who also won in 2018, easily outdistanced Jalen Hurts, receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of media members who regularly cover the league. He earned 490 points to 193 for Hurts, who got one first-place vote, 26 seconds, 11 thirds and 10 fourths.

Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs (16-3) face Hurts and the Philadelphia Eagles (16-3) in the Super Bowl on Sunday.

The last nine MVPs to play in the Super Bowl that season are 0-9. Kurt Warner was the last to win both the MVP award and Super Bowl following the 1999 season.

Bills quarterback Josh Allen received the other first-place vote, finishing third with 151 points. Bengals QB Joe Burrow placed fourth and Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson came in fifth.

The 27-year-old Mahomes is the third player to win his second MVP before turning 28, joining Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).

Mahomes was the 2018 NFL MVP in his first full season as a starter.

The Chiefs lost the AFC championship game that season but Mahomes led them to a Super Bowl victory over San Francisco the following season.

COMEBACK PLAYER

Geno Smith, who earned his first Pro Bowl berth after becoming a full-time starter for the first time since 2014, is the AP Comeback Player of the Year.

The Seattle Seahawks quarterback received 28 first-place votes to beat out San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.

The 32-year-old Smith threw for 4,282 yards, 30 TDs and led Seattle to an NFC wild-card berth.

Smith earned 171 points and McCaffrey had 110 with 12 first-place votes. New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley came in fourth. He got four first-place votes.

Others receiving first-place votes were: Eagles defensive end Brandon Graham (2), Giants center Nick Gates (2), Lions quarterback Jared Goff (1) and Cardinals defensive end J.J. Watt (1).

COACH OF THE YEAR

Brian Daboll made a big impression in the Big Apple.

The New York Giants’ rookie coach won the AP Coach of the Year honors after leading the team to its first playoff appearance in six years.

Daboll received 16 first-place votes to outpace 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan, who got 12. Daboll totaled 123 points to Shanahan’s 100 in the closest race of all the 2022 AP NFL awards.

Jaguars coach Doug Pederson finished third with 75 points, including five first-place votes.

Bills coach Sean McDermott was fourth followed by Philadelphia’s Nick Sirianni.

McDermott got seven first-place votes, Sirianni had six, Kansas City’s Andy Reid got two and Minnesota’s Kevin O’Connell and Detroit’s Dan Campbell got one apiece. The Giants started 6-1, finished 9-7-1 and won a playoff game under Daboll.

DEFENSIVE ROOKIE

It’s all about that Sauce.

New York Jets cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” Gardner won the AP Defensive Rookie of the Year award Thursday, taking 46 first-place votes.

Detroit Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson finished second with 129 points, getting three first-place votes.

Seattle Seahawks cornerback Tariq Woolen came in third with 73 points, including one first-place vote.

Gardner, the No. 4 overall pick in the draft, started every game for the Jets. He had two interceptions and allowed just 33 catches on 73 targets. Gardner was a first-team All-Pro, becoming the first rookie cornerback to achieve the honor since Hall of Famer Ronnie Lott in 1981.

Gardner and Garrett Wilson are the third teammates to win the offensive and defensive rookie awards in the same season. Alvin Kamara and Marshon Lattimore did it with the Saints in 2017 and Detroit’s Mel Farr and Lem Barney did it in 1967.

OFFENSIVE ROOKIE

Garrett Wilson, the Jets’ wide receiver, edged out Seattle Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker for the AP Offensive Rookie of the year award, 156-129.

Wilson led all rookies with 83 catches and 1,103 yards receiving. Walker led all rookies with 1,050 yards rushing and nine TDs.

Wilson received 18 first-place votes, one fewer than Walker. However, he got 19 seconds to Walker’s eight. Wilson had nine third-place votes, also one fewer than Walker.

First-place votes are worth 5 points, second-place votes are worth 3 and third are worth 1.

49ers quarterback Brock Purdy finished third.

DEFENSIVE PLAYER

Nick Bosa made it a landslide for the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.

San Francisco’s All-Pro defensive end received 46 first-place votes after leading the NFL with 181/2 sacks in the regular season.

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons finished second with 101 points, far behind Bosa’s 237. Parsons didn’t get a first-place vote but had 30 second-place votes and 11 for third.

Kansas City Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones came in third with 56 points. Jones had one first-place vote.

Philadelphia Eagles edge rusher Haason Reddick got two first-place votes.