Eight under-the-radar MVP candidates for Super Bowl LI

As we eagerly await the Super Bowl LI matchup between the New England Patriots and Atlanta Falcons, it’s easy to hone in on some top players as the most likely MVP candidates. Guys like Tom Brady, Matt Ryan, LeGarrette Blount and Julio Jones have been making monster plays for their teams all year long.

For the purposes of this list, we’re going to dig a bit deeper to uncover which players might have a chance to pop up out of the shadows to claim this coveted honor while helping their team win the big game.

We’re looking for guys like Malcolm Smith, Deion Branch, Desmond Howard and Larry Brown. Guys who took advantage of the spotlight with clutch performances in the biggest game of the year. Guys who don’t necessarily make you think “superstar” but who have a chance to make this kind of impact for their respective teams this Sunday in Houston.

These are our favorite under-the-radar MVP candidates for Super Bowl LI.

Deion Jones, linebacker, Atlanta Falcons

Vic Beasley has garnered plenty of deserved praise for his performance as a sack artist this year. But he’s only part of the reason the Falcons started to dominate defensively since the bye week. Another young linebacker, rookie Deion Jones out of LSU, has emerged as one of the league’s premier coverage linebackers.

And coverage is going to be a huge task for Atlanta’s defense this Sunday against Tom Brady and his quick-release passing offense. The Pats love to move the chains by having their receivers run crossing routes and utilize double moves to the outside off the same concepts.

It’s going to take some serious work by the Falcons to keep them from doing so at will.

That’s where a speedster like Jones comes into play. He intercepted three passes this past regular season, racked up 108 tackles and forced a fumble. Even better, he returned two of those interceptions for touchdowns (watch him take one 90 yards here), and he got his hands on nine other passes during the season.

Jones has been hot during the playoffs as well, logging 11 tackles and an interception, which he returned 28 yards against the Seattle Seahawks. If he has another huge game in an Atlanta win, then he could trump all offensive players to take home the MVP trophy.

Dion Lewis, running back, New England Patriots

After a relatively quiet season following a lengthy recovery from ACL surgery, Dion Lewis showed up in a massive way when the Patriots won their first playoff game against the Houston Texans. He scored three touchdowns in the game and was the biggest impact player for the Pats in that game, which was highly competitive until Brock Osweiler threw it away in the fourth quarter.

Perhaps the best thing about it all, though, was that Lewis showed just how hungry he is for perfection after the game, noting his fumbles (one lost) hurt his team.

“I feel like this is my worst game ever, actually,” Lewis said after the game, per Nora Princiotti of the Boston Globe. “Just putting my team in a bad position. I don’t think this is my best game,” Lewis said after the 34-16 victory. “I’m just disappointed I put my team in jeopardy so I’ve got a lot of work to do.”

Lewis was almost invisible during New England’s blowout win over the Pittsburgh Steelers in the AFC Championship Game. He totaled just 19 yards on eight touches and returned just one kick for 18 yards. But it would be just typical for someone who has been cold to emerge as the hero for the Patriots in the Super Bowl.

It’s also worth pointing out that Atlanta’s defense is seriously fast, and Lewis will likely get some chances to make plays on quick passes to the sideline as they Pats try to beat them to the punch.

Taylor Gabriel, wide receiver, Atlanta Falcons

It’s been a long time since Taylor Gabriel found the end zone, dating back to late October against the Green Bay Packers. But he’s more than capable of not only scoring, but scoring more than once, on any given Sunday.

. He also added a rushing score and has the speed and quickness to catch defenses off guard flying around the edge on jet sweeps.

Julio Jones and Mohamed Sanu will be tasked with taking on the top two corners New England has to offer. While we don’t expect them to be shut down, they could face more of a challenge than normal (just ask Antonio Brown how it went in the AFC Championship Game).

This means Gabriel could become a featured receiver, and his speed could be a serious killer once he gets past the intermediate zone of the defense. You can bet offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan will be dialing up some special plays to get Gabriel involved to take advantage of his ability to get up the field in a hurry.

Logan Ryan, cornerback, New England Patriots

The Patriots have three excellent cornerbacks in Malcolm Butler, Eric Rowe and Logan Ryan. All three will have to come up huge in this game for the Patriots to have a chance at slowing down Atlanta’s high-powered passing attack.

For the purposes of this list, we’ll focus on Ryan, who operates in the slot a ton and will likely see Sanu — his former teammate at Rutgers — a lot in this game.

In addition to being a quick, aggressive cover man on passing plays, Ryan excels against the run from the slot and will likely be a huge key to slowing down Devonta Freeman and Tevin Coleman.

Ryan is around the ball so much that he actually led the Patriots in tackles this season with 92. That’s just crazy for a cornerback.

He tallied two interceptions and a forced fumble this season and added another pick against Osweiler in the Divisional Round. Nobody should be surprised if Ryan ends up coming up with the critical defensive play to propel New England to its fifth title.

Ricardo Allen, safety, Atlanta Falcons

A fifth-round pick out of Purdue in 2014, Ricardo Allen toiled away on Atlanta’s practice squad before being activated near the end of the season. He didn’t log a single stat that season, so it was somewhat surprising that he ended up in the starting lineup 14 games in 2015.

Fast forward to now, and Allen is not only still the starting free safety for the Falcons, but he’s been red hot, with interceptions in both playoff games leading up to Super Bowl LI.

A rangy defender who has the instincts and speed to cover the deep middle as well as the sidelines, Allen will be the last line of defense more often than not for the Falcons against Tom Brady and the Patriots. Additionally, Allen’s ability to come down and support on running plays will be critical to keeping LeGarrette Blount in check if/when New England tries to grind out the clock to keep Matt Ryan and Co. on the sidelines.

If the young safety can make it three games in a row with an interception, especially one that leads to victory for the Falcons, he’ll have to be considered for the MVP trophy.

Chris Hogan, wide receiver, New England Patriots

If Chris Hogan ends up earning MVP honors, it would mean he made some big plays in a game that saw Tom Brady otherwise struggle, but it’s not out of the question that it could happen.

Though he only caught 38 passes all year, Hogan proved himself more than capable of busting loose with big plays, averaging 17.9 yards per catch (leading the NFL) while catching four touchdowns. Along the way, he had two 100-plus-yard games.

That was fine and dandy. Terrific, even. Especially considering the Buffalo Bills didn’t fight the Patriots when they offered him a three-year contract worth $12 million as a restricted free agent.

But it’s what Hogan has done in the playoffs that has us thinking he could be a sneaky play as an MVP for New England. He matched the great Julio Jones in the Divisional round with nine catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns, then followed that up with a four-catch, 95-yard showing against the Steelers a week later.

While the Falcons have been tremendous on defense for weeks now, they are still vulnerable to getting beat deep, especially on the sideline. They gave up these types of plays in both playoff games and will rely on pressure up front to attempt keeping Brady from finding the weak spots downfield.

If that doesn’t happen too often, look for Hogan to have another huge game.

Tevin Coleman, running back, Atlanta Falcons

Given Atlanta’s passing prowess, it seems unlikely a running back would earn MVP honors. And if a running back does land the honor, you’d expect it to be Devonta Freeman, who is undeniably the No. 1 running back for the Falcons. He gets the bulk of the carries and is also an excellent receiving back.

But that doesn’t preclude Tevin Coleman from being a key player for Atlanta this Sunday.

In fact, Coleman was a huge scoring threat for the Falcons all year, tallying 11 total touchdowns (eight rushing, three receiving) along with 941 total yards. He had a tremendous game against the Denver Broncos — one of the best defenses against the pass — earlier this year, catching four passes for 132 yards and a touchdown while adding another 31 yards on the ground.

Coleman also scored a touchdown in both of Atlanta’s playoff games to this point, touching the ball 28 times for 143 yards. It wouldn’t be all that shocking to see him surprisingly emerge as a deadly weapon in Atlanta’s offensive arsenal as Shanahan looks for ways to poke holes in New England’s staunch defense.

Trey Flowers, defensive lineman, New England Patriots

Atlanta’s offensive line has been darn good, really all season long and into the playoffs, at protecting Matt Ryan, who isn’t the most fleet-footed of passers. Still, he was sacked 37 times throughout the season and three times against the Seattle Seahawks in the Divisional Round. So, he’s definitely capable of being hit and hit often if New England can get some push up front.

The Patriots haven’t had that one guy who dominates off the edge like so many great defenses possess.

However, Flowers led the team in sacks and is a streaky guy off the edge. After a few years harassing quarterbacks in the SEC, he’s emerged this year as a key player for the Patriots up front.

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He’s been taking over for Chris Long in key passing downs and has three games in which he logged two sacks this year. If the Patriots are going to shut down Matt Ryan’s passing attack, then Flowers will need to have a big game in concert with the talented defensive backs mentioned earlier.

While he’s no Von Miller, Flowers could easily bring home Super Bowl LI MVP honors if he has a Miller-esque impact on this game.