Barkley, Daboll Named Finalists for AP 2022 NFL Awards

New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley and head coach Brian Daboll are finalists for the "Comeback Player of the Year" and "Coach of the Year" awards, which will be announced at the 12th annual NFL Honors ceremony on February 9, 2023.

Barkley started each of the first 16 games before he was inactive in the regular-season finale, the first time since his 2018 Rookie of the Year season that the fifth-year pro did not miss a game due to injury.

Barkley, who sought to bounce back to his rookie campaign showing, finished with career-high totals of 295 carries for 1,312 yards -- the NFL’s fourth-highest total -- and scored ten touchdowns, one less than his rookie total. He also rushed for more than 100 yards in a game four times, just one less than his combined total for the three seasons from 2019-2021.

In addition, Barkley had 57 pass receptions for 338 yards, topping his 2021 numbers of 41 receptions for 263 yards, and he finished seventh in the NFL with 1,650 scrimmage yards, almost double his 2021 total of 856.

Barkley is one of three Comeback Player of the Year finalists, joining 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey and Seahawks quarterback Geno Smith.

The 47-year-old Daboll is the only first-time head coach among the five finalists nominated for Coach of the Year, a field that includes Sean McDermott of the Bills, Doug Pederson of the Jaguars, Kyle Shanahan of the 49ers, and Nick Sirianni of the Eagles.

If he wins, Daboll will become the first Giants coach to be selected Coach of the Year since Jim Fassel in 1997, who also inherited a team that finished in last place the year prior and led it to the playoffs in his first season at the helm.

The Giants finished 9-7-1 and earned a wild card berth, their first playoff berth since 2016. Having won five more games than they did in 2021, the five-game improvement is their largest in one season since they jumped from six victories in 2015 to 11 in 2016.

Daboll is the fifth coach in Giants history to lead the team to the playoffs in his debut season, joining Allie Sherman (1961), Dan Reeves (1993), Fassel (1997), and Ben McAdoo (2016). Rookie coach Earl Potteiger led the Giants to the 1927 NFL championship in the era before playoffs.

Daboll was also the first Giants coach to win his postseason debut since 1993, joining Reeves, Jim Lee Howell, Ray Perkins, and Bill Parcells in that category.

The 12th annual NFL Honors ceremony will air live on NBC, Peacock, and NFL Network.

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