After the Kansas City Chiefs completed their storybook season by defeating the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl 57, the identity of the Super Bowl MVP was the only question that remained unanswered. Winning a Super Bowl is a team effort, but only one player can be awarded the Pete Rozelle Trophy, given annually to the Super Bowl MVP.
Patrick Mahomes Wins Super Bowl 57 MVP Award
The Super Bowl MVP award was won by Patrick Mahomes. This is the second Super Bowl MVP of Mahomes’ career, as he also won the award after defeating the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl 54.
Mahomes and the rest of Kansas City’s offense struggled in the first half. The Chiefs controlled the ball for only eight minutes and six seconds, posted just 20 offensive plays, gained six first downs, and scored one offensive touchdown, an 18-yard pass from Mahomes to Travis Kelce.
Mahomes came into the game with a high ankle sprain suffered in Kansas City’s Divisional Round win over the Jaguars, and he seemingly aggravated the injury just before halftime. Taken down on a scramble attempt, Mahomes limped back to the Chiefs’ sideline before writhing in pain.
And yet, Mahomes returned after halftime and looked like the player we’ve all come to know.
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Trailing 24-14 at the start of the third quarter, Mahomes and the Chiefs scored on their first three possessions of the second half. He threw touchdown passes to Kadarius Toney and Skyy Moore en route to taking a 35-27 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the game.
After the Eagles tied up the game, Kansas City took over with 5:15 left. Mahomes moved the Chiefs down the field and, despite his wounded ankle, scrambled up the middle for a 26-yard gain to the Eagles’ 17-yard line. A third-down defensive penalty eventually allowed Kansas City to wind the clock and kick a game-winning field goal and give the Chiefs a 38-35 victory.
All told, Mahomes completed 21 of 27 attempts for 182 yards and three touchdowns. He was efficient in the passing game, didn’t take a single sack, and added 44 yards on the ground as a rusher. And he brought the Chiefs back from a 10-point second-half Super Bowl deficit for the second time in his young career.
Managing all of that — with a bum ankle — was more than enough to earn Super Bowl MVP.
Mahomes Completes Dominant Season With Super Bowl MVP
Mahomes won the MVP award for the 2022 regular season after leading the NFL in passing yards, passing touchdowns, and nearly every other quarterback metric. It was the second MVP of his career, as he also took home the trophy after the 2019 campaign, his first season as the Chiefs’ starter.
By defeating the Eagles, Mahomes became just the 10th player in NFL history to win the MVP and the Lombardi Trophy in the same season:
- 1966 | Green Bay Packers QB Bart Starr
- 1978 | Pittsburgh Steelers QB Terry Bradshaw
- 1982 | Washington K Mark Moseley
- 1986 | New York Giants LB Lawrence Taylor
- 1989 | San Francisco 49ers QB Joe Montana
- 1993 | Dallas Cowboys RB Emmitt Smith
- 1994 | San Francisco 49ers QB Steve Young
- 1996 | Green Bay Packers QB Brett Favre
- 1999 | St. Louis Rams QB Kurt Warner
- 2023 | Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
Mahomes was already on a Hall of Fame track, but his performance in 2022 solidified his legacy in NFL history. Every player to win regular-season MVP and Super Bowl MVP in the same year has eventually been enshrined in Canton, with the exception of kicker Mark Moseley.
Mahomes now has two Super Bowls and two MVP awards under his belt. He’s building a résumé as one of the greatest quarterbacks in league history, and he’s still only 27 years old.
Quarterbacks Continue Super Bowl MVP Dominance
Quarterbacks are always the favorites to win the Super Bowl MVP award, and this year was no different. Signal-callers add the most value among all positions in football, so it makes sense that QBs are typically rewarded for their performance.
In the previous 56 Super Bowls, quarterbacks had earned MVP honors 31 times. Wide receivers have won the award eight times (including the Los Angeles Rams’ Cooper Kupp last season), while running backs have earned the trophy four times.