With Super Bowl 58 just a few short days away, everyone has their opinion about who will win. Currently, the San Francisco 49ers are narrow favorites to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in what promises to be a thrilling contest.
Besides predicting the Super Bowl champ, the next biggest honor is taking home the Super Bowl MVP award. Patrick Mahomes won the award last year — the second time he was Super Bowl MVP — and is the favorite to earn the trophy again, but numerous players on both teams will feel that they have a good shot at dethroning Mahomes.
The 49ers have a long list of offensive playmakers who can make a difference, while the Chiefs' Travis Kelce has proven to be an elite contributor during this Kansas City playoff run. One player who might not be getting the recognition he deserves in the current odds is San Francisco tight end George Kittle. Kittle was once again one of the best tight ends in the league in 2024 but has lower Super Bowl 58 MVP odds than Isaiah Pacheco, Rashee Rice, or Deebo Samuel.
Statistically, quarterbacks have the best odds of earning the MVP award — as 32 of the 57 previous honorees were QBs. Despite the historical skew toward passers, a pass-catcher like George Kittle still has a good shot at becoming the Super Bowl 58 MVP. Here is why George Kittle will take home the award.
George Kittle's big-play ability in big games
In recent years, NFL tight ends have evolved from simply being blockers and underneath options to becoming true playmaking threats. Few players at the position exemplify this transformation more than George Kittle. Kittle had a league-leading 31 catches of 20+ yards in 2023 (10 more than the next closest player), accounting for nearly half of his 65 catches. The 49ers tight end was also the only player at his position to eclipse 1,000 receiving yards on the year while leading the position with 15.7 yards per catch. Kittle has managed this while also being one of the NFL's elite run-blockers among tight ends.
This big-play ability was on display in San Francisco's win over the Green Bay Packers in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Kittle only had four catches, but he made them count — totaling 81 receiving yards. The tight end's 32-yard touchdown reception put the Niners on the board in the second quarter, then another 32-yard catch in the third quarter was part of an important four-play touchdown drive that helped the 49ers respond after the Packers opened the half with a TD.
George Kittle has saved his best games for when the team has needed him most this year. All six of his regular season scores came against teams with winning records and his three 100-yard receiving contests (the most among tight ends) also came versus teams above .500. It is no coincidence that seven of his eight plays over 30-plus yards also came against teams fitting that criteria.
When the 49ers need a play, a big play, they turn to Kittle. And George Kittle has a propensity to play his best football against top teams. After a quiet game against the Detroit Lions, he will be looking to bounce back in a notable way.
No tight end has ever earned the Super MVP award, but the voters have a history of choosing players who make memorable plays — making Kittle an underrated choice to take home the honors in Super Bowl 58.
Follow Us
Subscribe