Niner Noise
FanSided

Super Bowl LIII: 5 candidates who may take home MVP hardware

By Peter Panacy

HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and New England Patriots' Tom Brady with the Pete Rozelle MVP Trophy during the Super Bowl Winner and MVP press conference on February 6, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images)
HOUSTON, TX - FEBRUARY 06: NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell, left, and New England Patriots' Tom Brady with the Pete Rozelle MVP Trophy during the Super Bowl Winner and MVP press conference on February 6, 2017 in Houston, Texas. (Photo by Bob Levey/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
1 of 5
Next
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 20: Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LOUISIANA – JANUARY 20: Brandin Cooks #12 of the Los Angeles Rams runs the ball against the New Orleans Saints during the third quarter in the NFC Championship game at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on January 20, 2019 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /

Niner Noise offers up predictions on the best candidates to win MVP honors when the Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots square off in Super Bowl LIII this February.

There will be no shortage of star power in Super Bowl LIII when the NFC-representing Los Angeles Rams square off against the AFC champions, the New England Patriots, on Feb. 3 in Atlanta, Georgia.

And star power typically winds up garnering Super Bowl MVP hardware. If your team wins, of course.

The Patriots, of course, can boast a four-time Super Bowl MVP in quarterback Tom Brady. He received the award a mere two seasons ago when the Pats pulled off a shocking come-from-behind victory over the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI.

Brady is one name to watch. But there are others, too.

So, while the San Francisco 49ers won’t be thinking about a Super Bowl for some time, let’s look at five players who’ll likely wind up taking home MVP honors on Feb. 3 while we reminisce about the many Niners championship MVPs over the years.

No. 5: Wide Receiver Brandin Cooks, Rams

Ah, the revenge factor.

Rams wide receiver Brandin Cooks spent 2017 with the Patriots before they shipped him off in a trade to L.A. last April.

Cooks thrived in Rams head coach Sean McVay’s offense this season, posting a career-high 1,204 receiving yards and cresting the 1,000-yard plateau for the fourth time in his five-year career.

And one of those 1,000-yard seasons was with New England, too.

For whatever the reasons, the Pats didn’t see Cooks as a long-term fit. The chance to come back and haunt his former team should be enough motivation for Cooks anyway. And it isn’t as if he’s having a bad playoffs, either. In L.A.’s overtime win over the New Orleans Saints, Cooks hauled in seven passes for 107 yards.

His blazing speed should be problematic enough for New England’s defense.