Seattle Seahawks face New England Patriots in Super Bowl LX on Sunday and Sam Darnold is the favourite to win the Super Bowl MVP award.
The Seattle Seahawks do battle with the New England Patriots at Levi’s Stadium in Santa Clara on Sunday for the chance to lift the Vince Lombardi Trophy at Super Bowl LX.
Back in 2015, the Patriots beat Seattle 28-24 to win Super Bowl XLIX, although Seattle are considered the favourites this week and should earn revenge.
With that in mind, it is time to look towards the Super Bowl LX MVP market and we have picked out three candidates that could win the award.
Super Bowl LX MVP Tips
Darnold the favourite to silence his doubters
Seattle quarterback Sam Darnold has largely been considered a failure as an NFL player. He was the third overall pick in the 2018 draft, but his time with the New York Jets did not work out.
He then spent two uneventful seasons with the Carolina Panthers before a year with the San Francisco 49ers.
Everything changed in 2024, however, when he led the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs, although they still opted to move on from him.
That decision was Seattle’s gain and he has now led his last two teams to 14-3 records in the regular season. Darnold had the game of his life to help Seattle beat the Los Angeles Rams 31-27 in the Championship Round of the playoffs and the stage looks set for a career-defining move.
Darnold has had to overcome adversity and several setbacks, and his performances this season, especially the one against the Rams, suggest he is ready to spearhead Seattle’s playoff success.
Star receiver to be put through his paces
Seattle’s Jaxon Smith-Njigba finished the regular season with the most receiving yards after racking up 1,793 in 17 appearances.
He averaged 15.1 yards per reception, scoring 10 touchdowns, and he has continued his fine form in the playoffs.
Even though the opposition know he is Darnold’s prime target, stopping him is another matter. He has scored touchdowns in both playoff wins over the San Francisco 49ers and Rams, and it was against Los Angeles that he really ran riot.
Smith-Njigba caught 10 of his 12 targets for 153 yards and if he replicates that, the MVP award could easily be in his hands after the game is over.
Injuries help Walker III’s chances
Seahawks running back Kenneth Walker III has had a solid season, racking up 1,027 rushing yards in 17 games. That is a decent return to say he split the load with fellow back Zach Charbonnet.
Sadly for Seattle coach, Mike Macdonald, Charbonnet is injured, meaning Walker III will have to handle most of the workload in the backfield.
Walker III finished the regular season with just five rushing touchdowns, yet he has scored four in the playoffs. He has racked up 178 rushing yards in the playoffs and 78 receiving yards and he is clearly enjoying the extra responsibility.
As a dual-threat back, Walker III offers good value for an outsider winning the MVP award in a game that Seattle should dominate.
