Who will win Super Bowl MVP 2023? The stage is set for the Kansas City Chiefs vs Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LVII. While the biggest focus is on who wins the Lombardi Trophy, Super Bowl MVP holds an important place in immortality.
Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Cooper Kupp took home the honor last year, but it was a close race with teammate Aaron Donald. While an offensive player has taken the honor home in the last six years, Von Miller in 2016 is just the latest instance of a defensive player winning MVP in the Super Bowl. Just like NFL MVP for the regular season, though, the Super Bowl honor typically goes to quarterbacks.
Related: Super Bowl MVP history
Below, we’ll examine the Super Bowl MVP 2023 candidates headline by Patrick Mahomes and Jalen Hurts. While the young passers might be the stars of the show, there should be plenty of deserving players depending on how they perform Sunday.
Super Bowl MVP 2023 odds
The Super Bowl MVP odds from BetMGM are live. We’ll provide updates in the days leading up to Super Bowl LVII, with analysis on the leading candidates after each quarter on Sunday.
Related: Best Super Bowl LVII prop bets
- Patrick Mahomes – -400
- Jalen Hurts – +400
- Travis Kelce – +1800
Keeping those figures in mind, let’s dive into the 2023 Super Bowl MVP candidates.
Who will win Super Bowl MVP?
Below, we’ve broken down the five leading candidates for Super Bowl MVP 2023. As mentioned above, we’ll update their outlooks and any emerging players during the Super Bowl.
Patrick Mahomes
Patrick Mahomes is putting on a show early. The reigning NFL MVP boasts a 130.8 QB rating with 78 passing yards and a touchdown through the Chiefs’ first three drives. Just as important, the connection with Travis Kelce is on point right now and Philadelphia doesn’t seem to have a fix for its problem. Mahomes is trailing in the Super Bowl MVP vote right now, but comebacks can change all of that.
Unfortunately, Kansas City is falling into a deeper hole and Mahomes is now injured. The Chiefs’ offensive line isn’t holding up well and that pressure is wiping away any hope for Mahomes to take more shots downfield. We’ve seen some incredible things from Mahomes in the past and he’ll need another unforgettable moment to win Super Bowl MVP and the Lombardi Trophy.
Of course, Mahomes led the comeback. The ankle injury isn’t noticeable, with the reigning regular-season MVP still playing at an elite level. While the yardage totals might not represent what you’d expect from a Super Bowl MVP, the touchdowns and comeback are more than enough.
- Patrick Mahomes stats (Super Bowl): 131.8 QB rating, 182 pass yards, 3 TD, 44 rush yards
Mahomes led Kansas City on the improbable comeback, making the plays with his arm and legs that decided the game. Football fans, Patrick Mahomes is your Super Bowl MVP.
Jalen Hurts – Super Bowl MVP runner-up
Everything was going perfectly for Jalen Hurts until the fumble. He completed 10-of-12 attempts for 128 passing yards, tacking on a rushing score for good measure. With the Eagles leading 14-7 and Hurts holding a 138.9 QB rating, he emerged as the favorite for Super Bowl MVP.
The fumble could wipe all of that out. Not only did he turn it over in a favorable field position, potentially taking points off the board for the Eagles’ offense, but linebacker Nick Bolton returned it for a touchdown. One mistake can be overcome, but this is the last thing Hurts needs.
- Jalen Hurts first half stats: 17-of-22, 183 pass yards, 1 TD, 116.3 QB rating, 63 rush yards, 2 rushing touchdowns
We might be witnessing a signature moment in the NFL. Coming into this, Hurts still had his share of skeptics and there were concerns about his shoulder injury. The face of the Eagles’ franchise is tearing Kansas City up right now. A two-score lead at halftime with three touchdowns and over 200 total yards of offense, Super Bowl MVP was just the start of things to come.
Hurts broke the single-game Super Bowl records for rushing yards and rushing touchdowns by a quarterback. In the biggest moment of his life, Hurts often looked like the best player in the NFL. It just wasn’t quite enough tonight.
Travis Kelce
A tight end has never won Super Bowl MVP. Then again, Travis Kelce is one of the all-time greats at his position. Even if history is against him and a strong performance from Kelce would indicate Mahomes also shined, there’s an outside chance the veteran tight end wins the award.
Look at what he did to the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Chiefs’ go-to weapon finished the Divisional Round with 17 targets, turning them into 14 receptions for 98 receiving yards and two scores. Quick throws to the tight end are a great way to mitigate a ferocious pass rush, which puts Kelce in an excellent position for another big day. If he eclipses 80 receiving yards and scores twice, there will be strong arguments to be made for Kelce.
Past the midway point of the second quarter, Kelce is rolling. He turned three receptions into 60 receiving yards and a touchdown, getting open for big plays on every big Chiefs’ drive. It would take a monster performance for Kelce to win MVP over Mahomes, but this hot start is a step towards doing the unthinkable.
Nick Bolton
Coming into the Super Bowl as one of the most unheralded linebackers in the NFL, Nick Bolton changed that. Sometimes winning Super Bowl MVP is just about being in the right spot at the perfect time. Bolton’s 36-yard fumble return touchdown tied the game and could be a game-changing moment that lives on highlight reels for decades. Quite the start for a linebacker who had +10000 MVP odds before the game.
He would’ve locked MVP honors up if the incompletion was ruled a fumble, giving him two touchdowns. Instead, MVP voters will just have to settle for one defensive touchdown and a phenomenal showing from Bolton. It probably just won’t be enough on a night when the quarterbacks went nuclear.
AJ Brown
A.J. Brown is among our favorite bets for Super Bowl LVII MVP. He finished the regular season with career-highs in targets (145), receptions (88) and receiving yards (1,496). Following two relatively quiet playoff performances – 50 yards on 14 targets – this matchup works in his favor.
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- Kansas City Chiefs vs No. 1 WRs (Football Outsiders) 31st in DVOA (22%), 30th in receiving yards per game (81.2)
Kansas City is one of the worst defenses against No. 1 receivers and its pass rush is largely reliant on Chris Jones. The Eagles should have success protecting Hurts, allowing him to take shots to Brown throughout the game. For a wideout who finished the regular season with eight games of 90-plus receiving yards and eight contests with a touchdown, Brown could star on Sunday.
He’s off to a fantastic start, hauling in a 45-yard touchdown pass and leading the Eagles in receiving. In what figures to be a high-scoring game that comes down to the wire, Brown’s fast start keeps him in the MVP race tonight.
Super Bowl MVP candidates – Pre-game
DeVonta Smith
DeVonta Smith is the Eagles’ leading receiving in the playoffs. He boasts the second-most targets (13), turning them into 97 receiving yards and a touchdown. There’s a reason Hurts loves throwing his way, quarterbacks posted a 114.3 passer rating (PFF) when targeting Smith this year.
He ranked seventh in yards after catch (485), 14th in yards per route run (2.3) and delivered five 100-yard games in the regular season. If Kansas City is focused on trying to contain Brown, Smith will burn them and a 100-yard game could make him Super Bowl LVII MVP.
Haason Reddick
Haason Reddick is capable of taking over a game, just ask the San Francisco 49ers. While he didn’t earn consideration for Defensive Player of the Year in 2022, he stood out on the Philadelphia Eagles’ defense. Reddick recorded nine games with multiple QB hits and he recorded two sacks in five separate regular-season contests. If we get a pair of sacks and a takeaway forced by Reddick, Super Bowl MVP 2023 could be his if the Eagles win a close one.
Chris Jones
If a Chiefs player not named Mahomes is winning Super Bowl MVP, Jones should arguably be the favorite. With Aaron Donald injured for the majority of the year, Jones was the best defensive tackle in the NFL this season. He recorded 20 QB hits and 10 sacks in his last nine regular-season games then dominated in the AFC Championship Game (3 TFLs, 2 sacks). Jones can single-handedly take over in the trenches and if he’s the reason the Chiefs’ defense contains Philadelphia, he’ll deserve Super Bowl MVP votes just as Donald did a year ago.