Most fans, players and coaches expected Carolina Panthers’ 26-year-old quarterback to be named this year’s NFL most valuable player and they were right. Newton, who led his team to a 15-1 record during the regular season received the honour on Feb 6th, but was then disappointed with his performance during the Super Bowl the next day as the Panthers dropped a 24-10 decision to the Denver Broncos at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Newton of Atlanta, Georgia wasn’t a unanimous winner of the award, but came close to it. He was named on 48 of the 50 ballots while fellow quarterbacks Tom Brady of the New England Patriots and Carson Palmer of the Arizona Cardinals received one vote each. Newton threw 35 touchdown passes during the regular season and was intercepted just 10 times. He also ran in another 10 touchdowns on the ground. Newton was successful on 296 of 495 passing attempts for a 59.8 completion percentage and 3,837 yards and had a 99.4 rating. He also rushed the ball 132 times for 636 yards for an average run of 4.8 yards.

Newton seemed to get better as the campaign went along and recorded 26 touchdowns and just one interception in his final eight regular-season contests. The voting took place before the playoffs kicked off, but Newton also shined in the postseason until the Super Bowl. He’s regarded as one of the best red-zone and short-yardage runners in the NFL and that makes him a dual threat. His passing and decision making improved this season and his average toss was good for 7.8 yards.

As well as taking home the MVP award, Newton was also named the league’s Offensive Player of the Year honours. After winning the awards Newton responded by saying, “I would like to thank Panthers’ owner Jerry Richardson for the opportunity to be the face of an organization when a lot of people didn’t approve of his decision. I would also like to thank every person that has doubted me because you made me better.”

Newton enjoyed an excellent season even though he isn’t surrounded by any star players. The Panthers are known as a hard-working squad, but it isn’t really filled with any star players. He didn’t win the award all on his own though as received help from players such as Ted Ginn, Jerricho Cotchery, Devin Funchess and Jonathan Stewart. Newton has now played five full seasons with Carolina and has completed 1,440 of his 2,418 passing attempts for a success rate of 59.6 per cent and has gained 18,263 yards in the air. He’s tossed 117 touchdown passes and has been picked off 64 times. Newton has also recorded 43 rushing touchdowns with his season high being 14 back in his rookie year of 2011.