Super Bowl 57: 10 likeliest players to win MVP

6. Likeliest Super Bowl MVPs – Philadelphia Eagles WR DeVonta Smith

The trade that brought A.J. Brown to Philadelphia was a big win for DeVonta Smith, who became an elite No. 2 receiver in the Eagles’ offense. Smith had a breakthrough regular season performance, catching 95 passes for 1,196 yards and seven touchdowns, and has been a key secondary contributor in Philadelphia’s postseason run.

If Kansas City is able to slow down the Eagles’ vaunted rushing attack, Hurts is still capable of slinging it well enough to win this game through the air. Brown will likely draw double teams throughout the night so Smith could be in position to clean up and become the third wide receiver to win MVP honors in the past five years.

5. Likeliest Super Bowl MVPs – Philadelphia Eagles RB Miles Sanders

The fact that the Eagles tend to involve a committee of runners does hurt a guy like Sanders, who doesn’t get the typical volume that would set him up to win Super Bowl MVP honors. Sanders received over 20 carries just three times this season, none of which came in the playoffs, but he still averaged 4.9 yards per carry during the season and scored a combined 13 touchdowns between the regular season and playoffs.

The type of effort that would see Sanders win the MVP would likely involve at least one long touchdown run that helps him inflate his yardage totals to the area of 150 yards on 15 carries. Add in a second score on the ground, which could be tricky with Boston Scott and Hurts in the mix for goal-line work, and that may be enough for Sanders to win the MVP.