Santonio Holmes wins Super Bowl MVP

Steelers WR Santonio Holmes wins Super Bowl XLIII MVP, finishing the game with 9 catches for 131 yards and the game winning TD with 35 seconds remaining.

Holmes becomes the 3rd Steelers WR to win Super Bowl MVP in the franchises 6 championships, joining Lynn Swann (Super Bowl X) and Hines Ward (Super Bowl XL).

Peyton Manning MVP times 3

Indianapolis QB Peyton Manning has won his 3rd MVP award, joining QB Brett Favre as the only players to win this award 3 times. Here is a break down of the votes.

• Peyton Manning, (32) votes
• Dolphins QB Chad Pennington (4)
• Falcons RB Michael Turner(4)
• Steelers LB James Harrison (3)
• Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (3)
• Chargers QB Philip Rivers (2)
• Titans rookie RB Chris Johnson (1)
• Arizona Cardinals QB Kurt Warner (1)
  
  
  
  Click Here to read why I thought Manning should be MVP in a previous post.

AFC/NFC North News Blitz

AFC

• Baltimore Ravens (11-5-0): With a win, they are in. Ravens clinch final playoff spot.
• Cincinnati Bengals (4-11-1): There's hope for the future as Bengals finish season on 3-game winning streak.
• Cleveland Browns (4-12-0): Browns are cleaning house as Crennel follows Savage out the door.
• Pittsburgh Steelers (12-4-0): Steelers fans nervous as Big Ben is carted off due to head injury in meaningless game.

NFC

• Chicago Bears (9-7-0): They needed help to get in, but Bears couldn't even help themselves as season comes to a close in Houston.
• Detroit Lions (0-16-0): Motown became "Woetown" as Lions are completely winless.
• Green Bay Packers (6-10-0): Statistically Aaron Rodgers had a great season, unfortunately the record did not reflect that.
• Minnesota Vikings (10-6-0): Adrian Peterson rumbled his way to become the league's leading rusher, and also joined an Elite group of 2nd year running backs.

Alldayfootball.com NFL MVP award

The NFL regular season is coming to a close and as we all prepare for "The Tournament" I figured that Alldayfootball.com should discuss our choice for the league MVP. A few weeks ago the list of candidates was very different with names like Warner and Brees as popular choices, and if there was an award for mid-season MVP either of those two would have had my vote. As we all know the award is for a complete seasons worth of work and late season collapses in the Bayou and the Desert have eliminated those two players from the running.

After hours of evaluation and careful following there are two remaining candidates and one clear winner. Peyton Manning and Adrian Peterson are both offensive superstars who are carrying their respective teams late into the season.

An uncharacteristic slow start in Indy because of two off season knee surgeries kept Peyton off this list for most of the season, but he has fully recovered and rebounded to Pro-bowl form. A master of deciphering opposing defenses, Manning will figure you out and slice you apart with surgeon-like precision. A struggling Addai/Rhodes backfield has provided very little support in the running game so Peyton Manning has put the Indianapolis on his shoulders and carried them back from a rocky 3-4 start to an 8 win streak and an 11-4 record along with a guaranteed 7th consecutive playoff appearance.

Peterson on the other hand doesn't have the supportive cast of Offensive playmakers like Manning does as evidence by his squad still struggling to lock up a playoff berth. His teams struggles should not take away from the dominating impact that Peterson brings every Sunday. Leading the NFL in Rushing yards when teams are constantly stacking the box with no fear of the Vikings lackluster pass attack is no small feat. Peterson's upright punishing style and blazing speed make him a threat to go the distance on any carry. A match-up nightmare in just his second season, his impact will not be truly felt until the rest of the offense can bring some balance.

When the season comes to a close and the awards are handed out, Peyton Manning will be clearing a spot for another piece of hardware. A 3rd NFL MVP trophy whose team would be at the bottom of the division without him. An irreplaceable conductor who orchestrates an offense beautifully from the line of scrimmage.