Denver quarterback Peyton Manning, who threw for NFL records in both passing yards (5,477) and touchdown passes (55) and who led the Broncos to the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs, was selected as the 2013 NFL Most Valuable Player and the Offensive Player of the Year, chosen in voting conducted by the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA).
St. Louis defensive end Robert Quinn, who led the NFC with 19 sacks and led the NFL in sack yards (145), was selected as the 2013 Defensive Player of the Year.
Manning, in his 16th NFL season, is the 39th NFL MVP honored by the PFWA, and he extended his record haul of NFL MVP awards from the PFWA to four in his career (2004, 2008, 2009, 2013). He is the second Bronco player to be named MVP by the PFWA (RB Terrell Davis in 1998). Manning was also named to his seventh PFWA All-NFL team in his career this season.
Manning started all 16 games in 2013 and completed 450 of 659 passes (68.3 completion percentage) for 5,477 yards, 55 touchdowns and a 115.1 passer rating with only 10 interceptions as the Broncos went 13-3 in the regular season. Along with his league marks for passing yards and touchdowns, Manning also broke the NFL record for passing first downs with 289. He threw for seven TD passes in the season opener against defending Super Bowl champion Baltimore to tie a NFL record, and his season-high 462 yards against the Ravens was the second-highest single-game yardage total of his career. He threw for four or more TDs in nine games, and set a NFL record by throwing 20 TD passes before his first interception of the season. He was twice named the AFC’s Offensive Player of the Month.
Quinn, in his third season, recorded sacks in 11 of 16 games, including five multi-sack games. He posted a season-high three sacks three times in 2013, and he broke the Rams’ single-season record for sacks, held by Kevin Carter, who had 17 in 1999. He led the NFC in forced fumbles with seven, and two of them resulted in St. Louis touchdowns, including his own 31-yard return vs. Chicago in Week 12. Quinn was credited with 57 total tackles (41 solo), 36 quarterback pressures and 33 QB hits on Rams coaches’ tape review. He also led the Rams, according to coaches’ tape, with a team-high 18 tackles for loss. He was the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week One after three sacks and two forced fumbles in the Rams’ season-opening victory over Arizona.
PFWA NFL MOST VALUABLE PLAYER: 1975 – QB Fran Tarkenton, Minnesota Vikings; 1976 – QB Bert Jones, Baltimore Colts; 1977 – RB Walter Payton, Chicago Bears; 1978 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers; 1979 – RB Earl Campbell, Houston Oilers; 1980 – QB Brian Sipe, Cleveland Browns; 1981 – QB Ken Anderson, Cincinnati Bengals; 1982 – QB Dan Fouts, San Diego Chargers; 1983 – QB Joe Theismann, Washington Redskins; 1984 – QB Dan Marino, Miami Dolphins; 1985 – RB Marcus Allen, Los Angeles Raiders; 1986 – LB Lawrence Taylor, New York Giants; 1987 – WR Jerry Rice, San Francisco 49ers; 1988 – QB Boomer Esiason, Cincinnati Bengals; 1989 – QB Joe Montana, San Francisco 49ers; 1990 – QB Randall Cunningham, Philadelphia Eagles; 1991 – RB Thurman Thomas, Buffalo Bills; 1992 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1993 – RB Emmitt Smith, Dallas Cowboys; 1994 – QB Steve Young, San Francisco 49ers; 1995 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1996 – QB Brett Favre, Green Bay Packers; 1997 – RB Barry Sanders, Detroit Lions; 1998 – RB Terrell Davis, Denver Broncos; 1999 – QB Kurt Warner, St. Louis Rams; 2000 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2001 – RB Marshall Faulk, St. Louis Rams; 2002 – QB Rich Gannon, Oakland Raiders; 2003 – RB Jamal Lewis, Baltimore Ravens; 2004 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2005 – RB Shaun Alexander, Seattle Seahawks; 2006 – RB LaDainian Tomlinson, San Diego Chargers; 2007 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2008 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2009 – QB Peyton Manning, Indianapolis Colts; 2010 – QB Tom Brady, New England Patriots; 2011 – QB Aaron Rodgers, Green Bay Packers; 2012 – RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings; 2013 – QB Peyton Manning, Denver Broncos.
ABOUT THE PFWA: The Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA) is the official voice of pro football writers, promoting and fighting for access to NFL personnel to best serve the public. The PFWA is made up of accredited writers who cover the NFL and the 32 teams on a daily basis. The Atlanta Journal-Constitution’s D. Orlando Ledbetter, who covers the Atlanta Falcons, is the organization’s president for 2013-15, while ESPN.com’s Jeff Legwold, who covers the Denver Broncos, is the PFWA’s first vice-president and long-time national writer Dan Pompei is the organization’s second vice-president. Follow the PFWA at ProFootballWriters.org and on Twitter at @PFWAwriters.
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