Why Rashee Rice will win Super Bowl 58 MVP

Rashee Rice has had an incredible rookie season and has cemented himself as a star wideout and a key cog in Andy Reid's offensive system in Kansas City. Rice has improved seemingly on a week-to-week basis, and he has earned the trust of both head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

Let’s take a look at some reasons Rice could win the Super Bowl MVP award if the Chiefs can defeat the San Francisco 49ers and win Super Bowl 58.

Rashee Rice may be the answer to Kansas City’s No. 1 receiver problem

Ever since Tyreek Hill departed Kansas City to join Tua Tagovailoa in South Beach, the Chiefs have been looking for a true replacement to claim the no. 1 receiver role in Kansas City's offense.

They have cycled through several players, and while some of them have proven adequate, none reached the standard that Hill had set. Hill is a speed demon, but he is so much more than just that. He's also an elite route runner with excellent hands and a great leaping ability that allows him to play much taller than his 5'10 frame.

Tight end Travis Kelce is the current no. 1 option in the passing game, but he has so much more to focus on from the tight end position that he can’t have quite the same impact as a no. 1 boundary receiver can have. Kelce can line up out wide on occasion, but then the Chiefs lose his blocking ability, while essentially telegraphing that it will be a pass play.

Kansas City has been looking for a no. 1 outside receiver ever since Hill left for Miami. After his departure, the Chiefs brought in Mecole Hardman to try and fill his shoes as the team’s go-to receiver. Hardman has played well in Kansas City, and he continues to play an important role for the team. But, he has not proven to be anywhere near the game breaking threat that Hill was.

Skyy Moore was the next player the Chiefs brought in hoping he would turn into another superstar. Moore has a high ceiling and he has certainly shown flashes, but ultimately there are too many factors going against him that prevent Moore from being a standout weapon offensively.

Kansas City's next attempt to find the number one receiver came when they traded for Kadarius Toney after a failed stint with the New York Giants. Coming out of college, Toney’s potential ceiling made draft evaluators think of Hill. Toney has blazing speed just like Hill, and he gave defensive players nightmares after he caught a pass when they would try to tackle him in the open field. Alas, Toney’s career in Kansas City has not gone to plan.

Untimely drops and mental gaffes have hurt Toney’s standing in the organization and he has effectively been benched in recent weeks. Although he has also been injured, there are few expectations that he will have a meaningful role as he returns to the field.

Enter Rashee Rice. He doesn't have the same game-breaking speed that Hill possesses, but nobody truly does. Rice makes up for this with elite separation skills and route running, shiftiness after the catch, explosiveness, and strong hands.

Rice is also quickly gaining the trust of quarterback Patrick Mahomes. Rice has a strong understanding of the offensive scheme, defensive alignments, and coverages and where Mahomes will be looking to go with the ball based on what the defense does. Rice has an uncanny ability to find openings in the defense and present himself as a target for Mahomes to pass to.

Rice excels at finding openings when defenses play zone coverage. This is vital to thriving in Kansas City's offense because opposing defensive coordinators typically prefer to play zone against Mahomes. This gives them a chance to confuse him or get lucky on a misidentified drop from a linebacker. It also decreases the chances will be able to exploit a one-on-one matchup deep down the field to Kelce or one of his other playmakers.

Why Rashee Rice will win Super Bowl 58 MVP

Rice is an electric playmaker who gains yards after the catch

Rashee Rice is a twitchy, athletic playmaker who can juke defenders with ease and explode forward to gain yards after the catch. This ability is integral to what Kansas City does and how they use their star wideout. A significant number of Rice's targets are within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage, either on hot routes when defenses blitz Mahomes, checkdowns or creases in a zone defense.

Andy Reid runs a very complex offense, and it is a credit to Rice that he can have such a thorough understanding of the ins and outs of Reed's system as a rookie. This allows Rice to catch easy passes and use his athleticism to turn a five-yard gain into a 20 or even a 50-yard gain.

Chiefs rookie is an elite downfield threat

Rice may not be a pure burner in the mold of Tyreek Hill, but he is capable of playing a similar role. While Hill has the speed advantage, Rice has the height advantage. He is deliberate with every movement he makes, has adequate speed, and is athletic and has strong hands. He has a good jumping ability and he's physical at the catch point. All of these factors combine to make Rice an excellent threat down the field.

Rice has all the tools necessary to punish defenses vertically, and Mahomes should look to Rice early to pressure the defense.

Chiefs offense functions best with a speedy deep threat

Historically, Andy Reid’s offenses have functioned best when they have an elite deep threat who can put pressure on a defense vertically down the field. Tyreek Hill is likely the best example of such a deep threat, but he isn't the only one.

Receivers who excel at threatening defenses vertically can often make the rest of the offense function better because of the increased stress that the vertical threat puts on a defense. Defenses don't like having to cover all 53 yards across the field as well as 60 yards down the field. The more real estate that there is for the defense to cover, the more difficult it becomes to do so.

When that deep threat is a boundary receiver, it also opens up the middle of the field in addition to the short passing game and the run game. A boundary deep threat such as Rice benefits Kelce, and vice versa. Mahomes will likely look to take a shot downfield to Rice early to set the tone. If Rice is able to secure a couple of deep passes, particularly if they are touchdowns, he will have a chance to put up big numbers with the world watching and potentially win MVP.

Rashee Rice has already proven himself under the bright lights

Rashee Rice enjoyed a breakout performance in the Wild Card game, racking up 130 receiving yards and a touchdown on 12 targets and eight receptions in an electrifying performance that helped propel the Chiefs to the divisional round. He has shown that the pressure of the playoffs doesn't phase him, and there is no reason he can't have a huge game on the biggest stage when the lights are shining the brightest.

Rice appears to be the type of player who lives for these moments, and he'll have a chance in the Super Bowl to show the whole football world what he can do.

Style points matter

When it comes to voting for Super Bowl MVP, not only does the production matter but the style of how it comes as well. If Rice can earn style points from the voters for making incredible catches or breaking tackles and leaving defenders in the dust, he will have a much better chance to win Super Bowl MVP. On any deep pass, credit will often be divided between the quarterback and the receiver. Was the receiver covered and the quarterback made a spectacular throw? Or, did the receiver burn the defensive back so easily that any above average high school quarterback could have made that same throw?

Similarly, if a large amount of Rice's production comes from Mahomes throwing him easy passes that he turns into big gains after breaking tackles, it will make it more likely that the voters will reward him with the MVP award.