Quarterbacks have been named the MVP of the Super Bowl 31 times in the previous 56 title games, and naturally, Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs and Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles are leading the list of Super Bowl MVP candidates according to the sportsbook.
Although Mahomes was the MVP of Super Bowl LIV, it is Hurts who is the current front-runner at +120 with Mahomes coming in at +130. Those who bet online are laying down plenty of money on both of the talented quarterbacks to win the MVP award.
With receiver Cooper Kupp of the Los Angeles Rams earning the honor last season, it is worth noting that there hasn’t been back-to-back Super Bowls without at least one QB being the MVP. That dates back to when receivers Deion Branch of the New England Patriots and Hines Ward of the Pittsburgh Steelers earned that distinction in the Super Bowls following the 2006 and 2007 seasons. Since that time, a quarterback has won the award 10 times in the last 15 Super Bowls.
Let’s check the latest Super Bowl picks, stats, injury reports, and Super Bowl odds. We’ve got plenty of Super Bowl lines for you to consider.
Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City Chiefs
Mahomes is expected to win the regular-season MVP award after leading the NFL with 5,250 passing yards with 41 touchdown passes and 12 interceptions.
While Aaron Rodgers of the Green Bay Packers, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, Ryan Tannehill of the Tennessee Titans and Kyler Murray of the Arizona Cardinals all had some challenging times when top receivers headed elsewhere in the offseason, Mahomes had no such issues even when Tyreek Hill was traded to the Miami Dolphins.
Mahomes has completed 70% of his passes in the two playoff games with four touchdown passes and no interceptions after his brilliant regular season.
Built for this. @PatrickMahomes | #SBLVII pic.twitter.com/ZbdndD4FZd
— Kansas City Chiefs (@Chiefs) February 4, 2023
There are questions with some of the wide receivers as well as the ankle he injured in the playoff opener against Jacksonville. However, Mahomes is the top-rated passer in the history of the NFL playoffs for a reason and he should be just fine on Sunday, even if he has been slowed by his tender ankle.
Jalen Hurts, Philadelphia Eagles
If Hurts hadn’t been sidelined late in the regular season, he might be the one who is regular-season MVP front-runner.
Hurts still threw for 3,701 yards and was fourth during the regular season in passing efficiency. He also ran for 760 yards and a career-high 13 touchdowns.
There were questions whether Hurts was the quarterback to take the Eagles to the next level even heading into this season.
Hurts has gone from completing 52% of his passes as a rookie to 61.3% last season and now he is at 66.5%.
Getting A.J. Brown in a trade with Tennessee has been a huge help for Hurts and the Eagles offense.
Hurts doesn’t have the playoff experience that Mahomes does. He had two interceptions and a TD pass in his playoff debut in 2021. He hasn’t made many throws down the field in the playoffs this season and that leads some to wonder about the health of his injured shoulder.
With the extra rest, it seems likely that Hurts will be able to cut it loose.
The Matchup
Mahomes has a chance to join a select group of two-time Super Bowl MVPs that includes Tom Brady, Bart Starr of the Green Bay Packers, Terry Bradshaw of the Pittsburgh Steelers, Joe Montana of the San Francisco 49ers, and Eli Manning of the New York Giants.
For Hurts, he would join Joe Flacco of the Baltimore Ravens and Troy Aikman of the Dallas Cowboys as the only Super Bowl MVPs who transferred during their college days. Hurts began his career at Alabama before landing at Oklahoma when he lost the starting job to Tua Tagovailoa.
Both Mahomes and Hurts played in college during the 2016 season. However, Hurts’ Alabama team did not meet up with Mahomes and Texas Tech that season.
As for their time in the NFL, they have only met once.
Mahomes threw for 278 yards and five TDs while Hurts passed for 387 yards and two touchdowns. Hurts added 47 rushing yards in a wild affair won by Kansas City 42-30 on Oct. 3, 2021.
The Las Vegas NFL odds aren’t calling for another 42-30 game, however.
Prediction
Mahomes is the more experienced of the quarterbacks. However, Philadelphia has the better-supporting cast on offense and the better defense as well. Mahomes may have to do more for the Chiefs to win this game than Hurts.
Fans could be in for a real treat when these two quarterbacks meet. Yes, the fact that two Black men are starting at quarterback in the Super Bowl is worthy of the attention it is receiving. The reality is that these are two elite QBs regardless of skin color and after some anti-climactic games in the playoffs, this has the chance to be one to watch.
The odds and predictions in the article are based on the time of writing and publication. They may differ as to when the actual event takes place.
