Packers’ Rodgers Wins His Second NFL Most Valuable Player Award

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers was selected as the National Football League’s Most Valuable Player for the second time in his career following a season in which he led the league’s top-scoring offense while throwing 38 touchdown passes and only five interceptions.

Rodgers, 31, had the NFL’s second-highest quarterback rating this season, completing almost 66 percent of his passes for 4,381 yards. He became just the second quarterback in NFL history to throw more than 35 touchdown passes with five interceptions or fewer.

Rodgers was selected over Houston Texans end J.J. Watt, who was seeking to become the first defensive player to win the MVP award since Lawrence Taylor in 1986. Watt had 20 1/2 sacks, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries, one interception and scored five touchdowns, including three receiving. He was named the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

Rodgers, who also was voted the Associated Press NFL MVP after the 2011 season, led a Packers’ offense that averaged a league-high 30.4 points a game this season. Green Bay had a 12-4 record during the regular season and fell a win short of the Super Bowl, losing to the Seattle Seahawks 28-22 in overtime in the National Football Conference championship game.

Rodgers is the eighth quarterback to win at least two NFL MVP awards, joining Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Kurt Warner, Brett Favre, Steve Young, Joe Montana and Johnny Unitas.

Other NFL award winners included Dallas Cowboys running back DeMarco Murray as the AP Offensive Player of the Year, New York Giants wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. as Offensive Rookie of the Year, and St. Louis Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald as top defensive rookie. Bruce Arians of the Arizona Cardinals was voted the league’s coach of the year.

To contact the reporter on this story: Erik Matuszewski in Phoenix atmatuszewski@bloomberg.net