NEW ORLEANS — Josh Allen edged two-time winner Lamar Jackson for the AP NFL Most Valuable Player award in the closest race since Matt Ryan beat out Tom Brady in 2016.

Allen, who led Buffalo to a fifth straight AFC East title, got 27 first-place votes to Jackson’s 23 and finished with 383 points. He received 22 second-place votes and one third.

Jackson, who led the Ravens to a second straight AFC North championship, got 26 second-place votes and one fourth for a total of 362 points.

Eagles running back Saquon Barkley finished third (120 points) followed by Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (82) and Lions QB Jared Goff (47).

Allen threw for 3,731 yards, 28 TDs and had six picks for a 101.4 passer rating. He ran for 531 yards and 12 scores, becoming the first player in NFL history to have five consecutive seasons with at least 40 total touchdowns.

Jackson had career-highs with 4,172 yards passing, 41 TDs to just four interceptions and a 119.6 passer rating, which led the NFL. He got 30 first-place votes to Allen’s 18 to earn AP first-team All-Pro honors.

The last time a first-team All-Pro didn’t win the NFL MVP award was 1987. John Elway was the MVP that season and Joe Montana was first-team All-Pro. The MVP award is given to a player who had the most valuable season while All-Pro is a statistical recognition.

AP Coach of the Year

Kevin O’Connell beat out Dan Campbell for AP NFL Coach of the Year after leading the Minnesota Vikings to 14 wins with quarterback Sam Darnold.

The Vikings, widely picked to finish last in the NFC North, ended up playing for a division title and the conference’s No. 1 seed in the final game of the regular season. They lost to the Lions and then were knocked out of the playoffs by the Rams.

O’Connell got 25 first-place votes, 18 seconds and seven thirds, appearing on all 50 ballots.

Campbell, who guided Detroit to a franchise-record 15 wins, got 19 first-place votes to finish second. Kansas City’s Andy Reid (4), Denver’s Sean Payton (1) and Washington’s Dan Quinn (1) also received first-place votes.

AP Defensive Rookie of the Year

Los Angeles Rams edge rusher Jared Verse was an overwhelming choice for AP NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year.

Verse had 4 1/2 sacks and led all rookies in quarterback hits (18), pressures (77) and hurries (56). He also had 11 tackles for loss.

Verse got 37 first-place votes, well ahead of Eagles rookie cornerback Quinyon Mitchell, who received nine.

Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske, Chargers cornerback Tarheeb Still, Texans safety Calen Bullock and Commanders cornerback Mike Sainristil each got one apiece.

AP Offensive Player of the Year

Saquon Barkley ran away with the AP NFL Offensive Player of the Year award after rushing for 2,005 yards, eighth-best in NFL history, in his first season with the Eagles.