Super Bowl 54: 10 likeliest players to win MVP

AVENTURA, FL - JANUARY 29: A general view of the Super Bowl LIV patch on a Kansas City Chiefs jersey during the Kansas City Chiefs press conference on January 29, 2020 at the JW Marriott Miami Turnberry Resort & Spa in Aventura, FL. (Photo by Rich Graessle/PPI/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

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SANTA CLARA, CA – JANUARY 19: San Francisco 49ers Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo (10) looking to pass during an NFC Conference Championship game between the San Francisco 49ers and the Green Bay Packers on January 19, 2020, at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara, California. (Photo by Kiyoshi Mio/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images) /

2. 49ers’ Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo

The top two players on this list are the quarterbacks, and that makes the most sense given the history of the NFL. Of the 53 Super Bowls that have been played, 29 of the MVP awards went to quarterbacks, so the smart money says history will repeat itself.

Quarterbacks won the Super Bowl MVP in seven of the last ten years, and that bodes well for 49ers’ starter Jimmy Garoppolo. San Francisco hasn’t asked for much out of Garoppolo in the playoffs, with him notably completing just 6 of 8 passes for 77 yards in the NFC Championship game.

A performance like that won’t be enough for Garoppolo to win the MVP, but the chances the 49ers can get away with that limited a passing game against the Chiefs are highly unlikely. Patrick Mahomes and company can put up points in bunches, as evidenced by a 28 point second quarter against the Houston Texans in the Divisional Round, so Garoppolo may need to get that arm loose to keep pace.

The good news for San Francisco is that Garoppolo has demonstrated he is capable of carrying the team in big spots. The most prominent example of that came in New Orleans, when Garoppolo shredded the Saints for 349 yards passing and four touchdowns in a game that helped decide home field advantage in the NFC.

Garoppolo will likely need to have a huge game for the 49ers to win the Super Bowl, and if that happens he will take home the game’s MVP honors. It is often that simple when it comes to quarterback play in the big game.

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