Four Dark Horse Candidates Who Could Win Super Bowl MVP

Several Hall of Famers and NFL greats have been named Super Bowl MVP over the years. Patrick Mahomes has been the MVP of every Super Bowl he has won. Meanwhile, Tom Brady has won five Super Bowl MVP awards.

Simultaneously, some lesser-known individuals surprised everybody and had the best game of their lives in the Super Bowl. Former Seattle Seahawks linebacker Malcolm Smith, who never made a Pro Bowl and played for six different teams, was named the MVP of Super Bowl XLVIII after he recorded a pick-six, a fumble recovery, and ten tackles. Defensive back Dexter Jackson, who never earned All-Pro or Pro Bowl honors, is another player who was named a Super Bowl MVP despite not having a stellar career outside of the big game.

Anything can happen in the Super Bowl. While Mahomes and Saquon Barkley could end up being the game’s most valuable player, there are a few individuals on both squads who could stun NFL fans and be named MVP.

Here are four dark horse candidates who can win Super Bowl LIX MVP honors.

Dallas Goedert, TE. Eagles

It’s no secret that I have been high on Dallas Goedert ever since Philly punched its ticket to Super Bowl LIX. He is fifth in the playoffs in receiving yards (188) and second in receptions (15). Those are his numbers amongst all postseason pass-catchers. When looking at only tight ends, he is second in receptions, second in first downs, and first in receiving yards.

Goedert had a down regular season, but that’s because he missed time due to injury. Though he only played in ten regular-season matchups, he still managed to make 42 catches for 496 receiving yards and two touchdowns, which equates to 49.6 yards per game. While that doesn’t sound like a lot, that ranks sixth amongst all tight ends in the NFL this season. What’s even crazier is that the other five tight ends who averaged more yards per game than him were all named to the Pro Bowl.

Though Kansas City did a good job of containing the Buffalo Bills’ tight ends, that was not the case when they played the Houston Texans. Houston’s tight ends were only targeted five times in the Divisional Round, but they caught all five of those passes for 65 receiving yards. No disrespect to Dalton Schultz and Irv Smith Jr., but I think Dallas Goedert is a much more serious receiving threat than either one of those guys.

With two weeks of preparation and a Chiefs defense that is allowing 20.5% of all passing yards to go to tight ends, I think Dallas Goedert could be a huge part of Philly’s offense if they end up winning this Sunday.

Kareem Hunt, RB. Chiefs

Rookie wide receiver Xavier Worthy was my other choice for the Chiefs’ offensive MVP dark horse, but I don’t actually think anybody would be all that shocked if Worthy ends up being named the game’s most valuable player. He leads KC in receptions this postseason and is second in receiving yards behind only Travis Kelce.

Considering how average he has been this postseason, I think Kareem Hunt would be a much more surprising MVP winner.

In his eighth year as a pro, the 2017 NFL rushing yards leader was signed to the Chiefs’ practice squad in September after starting running back Isiah Pacheco fractured his fibula in Week Two. Though Pacheco returned to action in Week 13, he has not looked the same since then, averaging just 29.3 rushing yards per game over his last seven starts.

With Pacheco struggling, Hunt has been the bell-cow back for Kansas City. He has averaged 54 yards and a touchdown per game in the playoffs. Keep in mind, he put up those numbers against the Texans (ranked first against the run in the playoffs) and the Bills (ranked sixth against the run in the playoffs).

Since the Eagles are surrendering 4.5 yards per rushing attempt, I could see Kareem Hunt going for 90+ yards and two rushing touchdowns this weekend. If Patrick Mahomes is held to less than 220 passing yards and only one touchdown, then Hunt’s performance should be good enough to earn him MVP honors.

Reed Blankenship, DB. Eagles

The Eagles’ defense is absolutely stacked. Defensive lineman Jalen Carter has emerged as one of the league’s most dominant players with an astounding 20 total pressures in the playoffs. Linebacker Zack Baun has played like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate with 26 total tackles, a forced fumble, an interception, and two fumble recoveries.

I could see either one of those guys potentially being named the MVP of Super Bowl LIX. However, defensive back Reed Blankenship could come out of nowhere and be named the game’s most valuable player.

Blankenship has 24 total tackles in the postseason, the fourth-most amongst all players and second-most amongst safeties. According to Pro Football Focus, he has also only allowed seven receptions in the playoffs, the third-fewest amongst 49 postseason safeties. To top things off, he forced a fumble against the Green Bay Packers and made a crucial fumble recovery in the NFC Championship Game.

His stat line has been terrific, and he will have to replicate that type of performance in the Super Bowl if he wants to win MVP.

I fully expect him to rack up several tackles. After all, he is averaging eight total tackles per game in the playoffs. Unfortunately, making a lot of tackles won’t be enough to win him Super Bowl MVP. Blankenship will need to cause at least one turnover (either a forced fumble, fumble recovery, or interception) and record at least half a sack if he wants to be named the game’s most valuable player.

Nick Bolton, LB. Chiefs

Defensive lineman Chirs Jones has been Kansas City’s best defender for several years now. He has been named an All-Pro six times while also earning Pro Bowl honors six times. He gets a lot of the credit and attention for the Chiefs’ success, and rightfully so! But linebacker Nick Bolton has been an unsung hero for KC.

As a rookie, Bolton recorded 112 total tackles. Then, in 2022 – when the Chiefs began this run of three straight Super Bowl appearances – he upped his tackle output to 180 during the regular season (second-most in the NFL). Though he missed several games in 2023, he led all players in total tackles last postseason with 40.

Bolton might not lead the Chiefs in tackles this postseason, but he has played 135 defensive snaps, which is the seventh-most total snaps amongst 53 linebackers in the playoffs, according to PFF. The fact that he plays so much makes him a prime candidate to be MVP.

He’ll need to get after the quarterback if he wants to be the most valuable player of Super Bowl LIX. Thankfully, he has shown an ability to rush the passer. Amongst playoff linebackers, he’s sixth in pass rush snaps and fourth in total pressures.

Bolton will need to be better in pass coverage, though. Despite playing the seventh-most coverage snaps amongst postseason linebackers, he ranks 32nd in passer rating allowed.

Similarly to Reed Blankenship, Nick Bolton will likely record many tackles. I could see him having six total tackles at the very least. If he sacks Philly’s quarterback once or twice and also records a couple of batted passes, then he will have a strong case to be the Super Bowl MVP.