Super Bowl 53: 10 likeliest players to win MVP

Will Tom Brady win another Super Bowl MVP? Will Jared Goff or Todd Gurley win their first? Ranking the most likely Super Bowl 53 MVP candidates.

LIn looking at candidates to win the Super Bowl MVP, one has to consider how the award’s been given in the past. Since 2000, 12 of the 19 winners have been quarterbacks, with the other seven split between defensive players (four) and receivers (three). Tom Brady has won the MVP in four of his five Super Bowls, making it likely that if New England wins, he stands a great chance to receive the award.

The Rams have star talent across the field, including star running back Todd Gurley and rising star, quarterback Jared Goff. Either player has a great chance to win should the Rams win the game, but don’t sleep on their defensive playmakers, like Aaron Donald, Marcus Peters and Ndamukong Suh who could be the rare defender to win.

The possibility of an unexpected hero remains, like Malcolm Smith, Dexter Jackson and Larry Brown have been in the past. With that mind, let’s rank the 10 most likely Super Bowl MVP candidates.

1. Tom Brady, Patriots

Brady, as mentioned above, already has four MVPs and would have a good shot at grabbing a fifth if the Patriots win. The game projects as high-scoring, given the ways both teams have won most of their games this season. Brady will throw for a lot of yards and probably a few touchdowns regardless of the game’s winner.

2. Jared Goff, Rams

Goff had a fantastic regular season where he continued to develop and look more comfortable in McVay’s offense. He came alive at the end of the NFC Championship Game win vs. the New Orleans Saints and enters the game with a lot of momentum behind him.

3. Todd Gurley, Rams

It hasn’t been the ideal postseason for Gurley, who ceded most of the offensive workload to red-hot veteran C.J. Anderson against the Saints. Gurley had just four rushing attempts and one reception — and dropped an early pass that resulted in a Saints interception. He managed a touchdown nonetheless, and promises to carry a much larger workload on Sunday. Gurley is still likely the best running back in the league, and his presence as a high-volume pass-catcher could help Goff if Patriots’ corner Stephon Gilmore finds success against Brandin Cooks and/or Robert Woods.

4. Julian Edelman, Patriots

Edelman always makes big plays in big games, and Brady regularly trusts him on important downs. His seven catches for 96 yards in the AFC Championship game were often debilitating for Kansas City, and everyone remembers his exploits in the last Patriots championship. He is the Patriots’ most important receiver, and the most likely New England skill player to take the award from Brady. Voters, though, haven’t picked a wideout since Santonio Holmes in 2009.

5. Aaron Donald, Rams

Donald is arguably the best player in the entire NFL at this point and looks like the most likely defensive player to grab the award. Given that the only two non-quarterbacks to win MVP since Drew Brees are Malcolm Smith and Von Miller, there appears to be a path for a player like Donald. The Pitt product would have to have a couple of sacks, force a turnover or two, and make some splashy plays to disrupt Brady to overtake the star offensive players in this game.

6. Brandin Cooks, Rams

The former Patriots receiver was concussed on a first-half hit in last year’s Super Bowl, but he promises to make up for lost time, albeit on a new team, as one of the Rams top two receivers. The Rams have suffered some since Cooper Kupp’s midseason injury, but Cooks could have a chance to rack up yards. The same goes for Robert Woods, who put up nearly identical numbers in the regular season.

7. Sony Michel, Patriots

Michel is the Patriots’ go-to ball-carrier. He had more than double the attempts that James White had in the regular season, approaching 1,000 yards in just 13 games. Against Kansas City, he had a remarkable 29 carries for 113 yards and two touchdowns, and in the divisional round against the Chargers, he had 24 carries for 124 yards and three scores. Another 100-yard, multi-touchdown game could put him in contention, especially if the Rams secondary can slow down Brady and the passing offense to at least some extent. Don’t bet on it.

8. James White, Patriots

White continues the tradition of Patriots running backs who get a ton of catches out of the backfield. He didn’t get a single carry against the Chargers, but he had 15 receptions. White had 87 catches in the regular season, just seven less than his total number of carries. He caught seven touchdowns and scored the game-winning touchdown in overtime against the Falcons in the Super Bowl two years ago. He seems less likely than Michel, who could get high-volume touches, but White always makes plays.

9. C.J. Anderson, LA Rams

Anderson slowed down a bit in New Orleans, amassing just 44 yards on his 16 carries as he was the lead back with Gurley not looking like his normal self. Anderson had 23 carries for 123 yards and two touchdowns in the divisional round, and in two regular season games, managed a ridiculous 7.0 yards per carry. Whether Anderson will maintain a prominent role in the offense remains to be seen with Gurley reportedly healthy but he has a Super Bowl ring and has to be considered a serious pregame candidate given his heavy workload in the previous four games.

10. Rob Gronkowski, Patriots

Gronkowski hasn’t had quite the season we’ve come to expect with just 47 catches for three touchdowns in 11 regular season games, but he can still dunk on defenders with regularity as he did in the AFC Championship Game win. Don’t be surprised if Gronkowski has a touchdown or two to lead the Pats to another title.