It’s official, the San Francisco 49ers will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL Super Bowl LVIII, as two of the best teams in the league this season go head-to-head at Allegient Stadium.
But behind those teams are the superstars who have driven them to success over the season, and led them to within touching distance of the biggest honor in the sport.
We’ll look at the candidates for the MVP award and break down the exciting match-ups to give you our best free NFL picks, and see if we can earn you some extra cash for the end of the weekend.
| Super Bowl LVIII MVP |  |  |  |
|---|---|---|---|
| Patrick Mahomes | +125 | +135 | +120 |
| Brock Purdy | +225 | +250 | +225 |
| Christian McCaffrey | +450 | +400 | +450 |
| Travis Kelce | +1400 | +1400 | +1000 |
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Below you’ll find a list of the favorites to be named MVP of the Super Bowl LVIII between Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers.
Before the Kansas City Chiefs sent the Baltimore Ravens packing in the last round it was Lamar Jackson who was the favorite for the MVP award for this season.
But to doubt Patrick Mahomes is to admit foolishness, and the two-time Super Bowl champion and MVP is back in the mix again with a chance to make history as only the fourth man to win the award three times and the first to win it in a five-year period.
Even if tight end Travis Kelce has a big game, Mahomes is the one who gets the ball to his hands, which could tilt the scales if he’s able to hit up a few of his other receivers for some big plays.
The future Hall of Famer hasn’t thrown an interception in any of his three playoff games thus far and he’s the quarterback in an award that almost always goes to the man in that position for the winning team. +135 is solid value for someone who has been there, done that, and got the t-shirt twice before.
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Brock Purdy had a pretty poor game by his own standards this season as the 49ers were forced to make a stunning comeback in the last round, but he still did enough to be the reason they got here in the first place.
It makes sense that Purdy is the favorite from the 49ers roster considering what we said about the quarterback position already.
There’s an argument to be made that the San Francisco 49ers have made it to the Super Bowl despite Purdy however, not because of him. The second-year pro has looked underwhelming, taking the first half off in both playoff contests before turning things around later in games.
If San Francisco are to get the win here it would need to be the biggest performance of his career, or someone else is likely to step up to the plate instead. There’s too much evidence to suggest it would be the latter, so this is one to avoid.
Christian McCaffrey ran for two touchdowns in each of the Niners playoff games this season and has now scored at least once in 15 of 18 games this season. If that isn’t someone deserving of the MVP award should they get the win, then we don’t know what is.
McCaffrey is in a unique position because of his importance to the Niners’ offense. That said, 12 or the last 17 Super Bowl MVPs were quarterbacks, and no running back has won the Super Bowl MVP since Super Bowl XXXII in 1998.
Since the start of the season, Christian McCaffrey has been the 49ers’ MVP. The recently named All-Pro led the league in rushing yards while also serving as one of the most efficient pass-catching backs across the NFL.
McCaffrey’s workload is second to none. He’s accounted for 260 of the Niners’ 769 yards in the postseason while he’s broken the century mark in scrimmage yards in both outings, churning out 188 rushing yards on 37 carries and adding 72 yards in the passing game. Every time something big happens, it’s usually because of McCaffrey.
You’d find a fair few Niners fans who are putting their hopes in McCaffrey rather than Purdy for this game, so +450 is a fantastic price for him to be crowned.
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There’s no denying Mahomes is the likeliest Chief to win this award, but when Taylor Swift is your date then nothing is impossible.
No tight-end has ever been crowned MVP in a Super Bowl game, but Kelce has been sensational this season and in the post-season and has got a crazy amount of media attention recently due to his relationship with the pop icon off the field.
Kelce also broke Jerry Rice’s postseason reception record in the AFC Championship and is just three touchdowns off Rice’s postseason record, and voters could acknowledge that feat by Kelce if he produces another outstanding performance in Super Bowl LVIII.
Of Mahomes’ four postseason touchdowns this year, three have gone to Kelce. If he’s able to bag two or more touchdowns, Kelce is absolutely worth a punt (pun intended) at +1400.
About the Author
A soccer and MMA fanatic who believes the eye test far outweighs statistics, apart from when it comes to betting. With experience writing for several years, Daniel is an avid sports fan but also enjoys obstacle courses, music and views from a height.
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