We’re now one game from knowing who will be crowned as the best team in the NFL for 2023, with the field having been cut down from 32 to two. Those two clubs, the Philadelphia Eagles and the Kansas City Chiefs, have been through a series of tough encounters with rival teams and find themselves in the showpiece Super Bowl – a game which, this year, is extremely close to call. If you’re wondering how close, have a look at the odds for the game. Even the market leaders for fair pricing, Cloudbet super bowl betting, find it hard to offer long odds on either side.
As the best teams in the NFL, it is also a fair call that these teams feature the best players. Not all of the best players, of course – there are standout names all around the NFL who would not be out of place in a Super Bowl. But to put on a winning performance in the biggest game of the year requires a special kind of player, and the best performer on the night will as ever be rewarded with the title of MVP. While it’s a title that often ends up in the hands of the winning quarterback, there is a good chance that it could evade Patrick Mahomes, who won in 2020, and Super Bowl debutant Jalen Hurts. Here are some of the names that could end up winning it from another position.
Travis Kelce, TE, Kansas
Pretty much alone among the “skill” positions on the field, a tight end has never won the MVP award, although Patriots legend Rob Gronkowski must have come close in at least one of the years that the award went instead to Tom Brady. Kelce is as good a bet as anyone to break this embargo – his role as the safety-blanket receiver for Mahomes means he’ll make plenty of catches, and his red-zone reliability could see at least one of those catches ends up a touchdown. Kelce is a prototypical receiving TE, and would be a popular winner.
DeVonta Smith, WR, Philadelphia
In racking up his first career 1000-yard receiving season, Smith became Hurts’ go-to WR, and it meant he also went close to a 100-catch campaign (ending with 95) and pulled in seven touchdowns. With Cloudbet – no mugs in this game, having been in operation since 2013 as the first crypto sportsbook – having the Eagles as 1.84 favorites, it’s likely that Smith will play a big part in this game. If he can augment his eight catches and one touchdown in the postseason so far with numbers as impressive as he’s been posting all season, he could be a decent bet to be the MVP.
Ndamukong Suh, DT, Philadelphia
Having only played half a season in the City of Brotherly Love, Suh showed up in a big way in the playoffs, his hit on Josh Johnson in the NFC Championship knocking the 49ers QB out of the game and ending it as a contest. Suh is in the twilight of his career but is one of the most effective defensive tackles in the league, and he will have his sights set on Patrick Mahomes, who comes into the game carrying an injury. If Suh plays his usual game it could be a long day for the Chiefs’ offense, and could be enough to win him the MVP honors. If you want to bet on this or any other market, Cloudbet’s highly efficient crypto betting will give you a chance to back your judgement.
