Rodgers earned 48 votes to two for New Orleans quarterback Drew Brees in balloting by a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL.

He is the first Green Bay player to win the award since Brett Favre concluded a run of three straight seasons as MVP in 1997.

Rodgers led the NFL in passing with a 122.5 rating built on 45 touchdown passes, six interceptions and a 68.3 completion percentage as the Packers went 15-1 and won the NFC North.

Instant impact

San Francisco's Jim Harbaugh won the coach of the year award for leading the 49ers back to the play-offs.

In his first season as an NFL head coach, Harbaugh guided the 49ers to a 13-3 mark and the NFC championship game. They beat New Orleans in the first round of the play-offs before losing the conference title game to the New York Giants.

A former NFL quarterback and successful coach at Stanford University, Harbaugh earned 45 votes from a nationwide panel of 50 media members who regularly cover the NFL. He easily outdistanced Green Bay's Mike McCarthy, who received three votes, and Denver's John Fox, who got two.

Drew Brees' record-setting season earned the New Orleans quarterback offensive player of the year award.

Brees shattered Dan Marino's 27-year-old mark by passing for 5,476 yards, and his 468 completions broke Peyton Manning's 2010 record of 450. Brees finished the season completing 71.6 percent of his passes, breaking his own 2009 NFL record (70.6). He also surpassed 300 yards passing for seven straight games and 13 times during the season, both beating league marks he already held.

Brees, the 2008 top offensive player, received 43 votes , while Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers got the other seven votes.

Winning formula

Carolina Panthers quarterback Cam Newton won the offensive rookie of the year award and Denver Broncos linebacker Von Miller won a two-man race with 49ers linebacker Aldon Smith for defensive rookie of the year.

Detroit Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford won the comeback player of the year award.

Stafford fought through injuries in his first two seasons, then threw for more than 5,000 yards in 2011 to lead Detroit to its first playoff berth in 12 years.

Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs was named defensive player of the year.