Well friends, we made it. It's officially the week of Super Bowl 58, and boy oh boy, we've got an awfully tasty matchup between the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers to look forward to, don't we? This feels like the right Super Bowl matchup. The Chiefs and 49ers have been the best and most consistent teams in the NFL over the last five seasons, and on their rosters, each team has multiple players who are capable of having the game of a lifetime on Super Bowl Sunday.
And that's why we're here today. These are the Super Bowl 58 MVP Power Rankings. Let's start with #10, and work our way down to #1.
T10. Chris Jones/Nick Bosa
The best and most recent case that a defensive player has had for winning Super Bowl MVP was Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who was completely dominant and the main reason why the Rams defense recorded a Super Bowl record seven sacks in their 23-20 win over the Bengals just two years ago. Instead, the Super Bowl MVP was given to Cooper Kupp, who finished with eight receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns, including the go-ahead TD with just a minute and a half left in the game. Had that Matthew Stafford touchdown been thrown to any other Ram besides Kupp, I have to imagine Aaron Donald would've been named Super Bowl MVP.
It would take a truly dominant performance from either Chris Jones or Nick Bosa in order for them to be under serious MVP consideration at game's end, and that's not to say that they aren't capable. Bosa and Jones were both Pro Bowlers this year, and last year, Jones finished 3rd in Defensive Player of the Year voting behind Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, and Bosa, who won the award for the first time in his career.
Jones and Bosa are the only two defensive players who crack the top ten in these Super Bowl 58 MVP Power Rankings, and that's because the only Super Bowl's in the last 25 years where a defensive player won Super Bowl MVP were in games decided by at least two touchdowns — Von Miller in Super Bowl 50, Malcolm Smith in Super Bowl XLVIII, Dexter Jackson in Super Bowl XXXVII, and Ray Lewis in Super Bowl XXXV. The average margin of victory in those four games was by 25 points. I just don't see this game being a blowout either way.
9. Rashee Rice
While everyone has been eager to write off the entire receiving corps of the Kansas City Chiefs, folks seemed to ignore the fact that rookie wideout Rashee Rice quickly established himself as one of the most reliable pass-catching weapons in the entire league. Rice finished second among rookies in receiving yards, third in receptions, and fourth in touchdowns. Additionally, Rice's 77.5% catch percentage was the highest in the league among all wide receivers with at least 70 receptions this season. In the postseason, Rice has managed to step up his game. In three games, he's pulled in 20 receptions for 223 yards and a touchdown.
Say the 49ers defense makes a point to follow Jerry Rice's advice and take Travis Kelce out of the game, putting two defenders in his vicinity each and every time he runs a route. Who else is Patrick Mahomes going throw to? Marquez Valdez-Scantling has made two massive catches each of the last two weeks, but was plagued by drops all year long. Kadarius Toney? LOL, yeah right. Justin Watson had six games with at least 40 receiving yards in the first nine games of the Chiefs season, but has had only one in their last ten. It's going to be Rashee Rice, who over the last ten games (three postseason games included) has gone for 783 yards and 4 touchdowns. That's 134 more yards, and 1 more touchdown than Travis Kelce has had in that same stretch.
8. Isiah Pacheco
There's not a player in the NFL right now who has a more distinctive running style than Chiefs running back Isiah Pacheco. To paraphrase a line from Nathan Shelley of Ted Lasso, who at the time was talking to AFC Richmond midfielder Roy Kent, Pacheco runs like he's angry at the grass. And he's just as angry at every defensive player who even dares try to tackle him.
Two of the three games this year that Pacheco has logged at least 20 carries have come in the postseason, and he's scored a touchdown in each of the Chiefs three Playoff games. This could have something to do with weather playing a role in the gameplan, which won't be a concern inside of Allegiant Stadium in Las Vegas. Even still, given how badly the 49ers defense has been gashed on the ground so far this postseason — they've given up 136 and 182 yards rushing in their two Playoff games — it's possible that the Chiefs could get out to a lead and ride Pacheco the rest of the way to protect that lead. All he needs to do then is score a touchdown or two and break one highlight-worthy run, and Pacheco is suddenly in the running (pun intended) for a Super Bowl MVP honor.
7. Brandon Aiyuk, 6. George Kittle, 5. Deebo Samuel
Your guess is as good as mine when it comes to what the proper order that these three 49ers pass-catchers listed here should be in. Aiyuk led the 49ers in receiving for the second consecutive season and was 7th in the league in receiving yards, continuing to establish himself as one of the best big play threats in the NFL. Yet, it feels to me like Kittle and Samuel are more reasonable options to win Super Bowl MVP.
George Kittle was the only tight end in the league who topped 1,000 yards this season, earning a well-deserved 1st Team All-Pro nod in the process. From a narrative perspective, Kittle makes sense as a Super Bowl MVP long shot given how much of the pre-game attention has been on Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce — Taylor Swift surely has something to do with that. Imagine that Kittle balls out, clearly outplays Kelce, and finds the end zone a couple of times. Wouldn't he get serious consideration from voters?
The reason I give Deebo Samuel the edge over both Aiyuk and Kittle is because of how involved he could be on the ground. Sure, Samuel is dealing with a shoulder injury that cast doubt on his availability in the NFC Championship Game, but he played anyway, ran the ball three times and caught eight balls for 89 yards in the 49ers 34-31 win over the Lions. Behind Christian McCaffrey, who led the 49ers with a whopping 339 touches this year, Samuel's 97 touches were second-highest on the 49ers.
4. Brock Purdy
Four years ago when San Francisco and Kansas City played in Super Bowl LIV, the biggest difference between the two teams was at quarterback. Patrick Mahomes is the NFL's premier game-changer, and Jimmy Garoppolo, then the 49ers starting quarterback, was a game-manager. The jury is still out on which camp Brock Purdy resides in, and Super Bowl 58 will likely be the day we get a definitive answer to that question. As 49ers legend Joe Montana laid out, Purdy shouldn't necessarily be penalized because he's surrounded by the deepest group of weapons in the league. But this is a game that Purdy needs to put his stamp on if he wants to shed the “game-manager” label. Given how impressive Purdy was in leading the 49ers to comeback wins in back to back Playoff games against the Packers and Lions, I do feel better about him now than I did going into the postseason. If Purdy spreads the ball around to all of the weapons he has at his disposal, the MVP could be his if the 49ers come out on top.
Mr. Irrelevant to Super Bowl MVP… now that's a story that writes itself, isn't it?
3. Christian McCaffrey
So what's on the line for Christian McCaffrey?
A Super Bowl MVP for McCaffrey would give him “best running back of his generation” bragging rights over Derrick Henry, Ezekiel Elliott, Saquon Barkley, Adrian Peterson, Nick Chubb and any other running back who has held that imaginary championship belt in the last decade. It would be vindication for John Lynch, who made the decision to trade for McCaffrey a year and a half ago, even though the importance of running backs has diminished over the years. It would make McCaffrey the first running back to win Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis did so 25 years ago. And it would make Christian and Ed McCaffrey the sixth father-son duo in NFL history to each win a Super Bowl as a player.
2. Patrick Mahomes
I really don't need to lay out an elaborate case for Patrick Mahomes here, do I? He's been the MVP in each of Kansas City's two recent Super Bowl wins, and has firmly established himself as the best quarterback in the world. A win against San Francisco, even without the Super Bowl MVP to go with, puts Mahomes onto a tier where only Tom Brady resides. A third Super Bowl MVP before his 29th birthday gets Mahomes even closer to the point where a really strong case can be made that when it's all said and done, he'll be the one who football fans refer to as the GOAT.
1. Travis Kelce
People have made jokes all year about how the NFL is scripted, and conservatives have now somehow talked themselves into believing that the Chiefs winning the Super Bowl is part of some elaborate scheme that the NFL and White House have concocted so that Taylor Swift has the opportunity to endorse Joe Biden after the game, because apparently she couldn't just go ahead and do that on Instagram, where she has 279 million followers. But hey, y'all wanna play make-believe? Let's play make-believe.
I see the game coming down to the wire. 45 seconds to go, Patrick Mahomes connects with Travis Kelce for a touchdown to give the Chiefs a 27-26 lead. It's Kelce's ninth catch and second touchdown of the game. The Chiefs defense keeps San Francisco out of field goal range, hanging on to the win. After the game, as confetti falls to the field inside of Allegiant Stadium, Taylor Swift and the whole Kelce clan makes their way down to the field. On the stage, as Jim Nantz announces that Travis Kelce is the Super Bowl 58 MVP. As Kelce accepts the award, he shockingly announces his retirement from the NFL, saying he's looking forward to the next chapter of his life, where he'll be a husband. Nantz pulls an engagement ring out of his pocket — because he was in on it, remember? — and hands it to Kelce, who proposes to Taylor Swift right on the stage… with half of the amount of people watching as there are who follow Taylor Swift on Instagram.
Follow Us
Subscribe