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With Super Bowl LVII drawing ever closer, it's time to take a look at some of the likely candidates for this year's Super Bowl MVP award.

A number of players from both teams have proven worthy of being considered as a potential winner of the award, due to their strong performances in either the regular season, post season or both.

The award, historically, has been given to the offensive player that made the biggest impact on the game - which tends to be the quarterback. 15 of the last 25 Super Bowl MVP awards have gone to that position. 

Only four defensive players have been able to break the trend and win the award, and that's exactly where we will start our list...

All odds posted were listed by BetMGM.

Defensive Favorites 

Haasan Reddick 

Haasan Reddick has been on a tear this season throughout both the regular season and post season, and that is not likely to change during the Super Bowl.

Reddick finished the season by recording 16 sacks which was far better than his previous career high of 12.5. He continued to carry the momentum from his strong season into the post season and currently leads the playoffs with 3.5 sacks.

Pass rushers are some of the most important and impactful players in the game and if Reddick is able to cause headaches for the Chiefs offensive line and apply constant pressure - if not record several sacks in the game - it could easily wreck Kansas City's gameplan.

His impact may prove to be even more important than a normal game as Mahomes' mobility could still be limited due to a high ankle sprain that he has left him clearly hobbling since the Divisional Playoff Round win against the Jacksonville Jaguars. 

If Mahomes is unable to avoid the pressure due to his troublesome ankle it could be a long and painful night for him and the Chiefs offense. 

Reddick is currently listed with the best odds of a defensive player at +3000. 

Chris Jones 

In similar fashion to Reddick, Chris Jones has carried forward the momentum from a strong regular season into the post season and been a game wrecker for opposing offenses.

He tied his career high with 15.5 sacks this season and has so far recorded two sacks through two games to put himself in the top five for post season sacks.

Even when he has not been recording a sack he has still been a menace in opposing teams' backfield, and recorded six quarterback hits and multiple tackles for loss through just the postseason.

Seeing that he plays as an interior rusher Jones has a short route to the quarterback, and any quarterback will tell you interior pressure will cause them more problems than pressure coming from the exterior of the line.

If Cox is able to impact Jalen Hurts enough to shut down the Eagles potent offense or just make a few impactful plays in the backfield it could be all he needs for the award.

He is listed at +5000 by the bookmakers.

Longshot defensive candidates

Darius Slay 

The Eagles No. 1 corner has earned the nick-name 'Big Play Slay' for a reason and sometimes that is all it takes to win Super Bowl MVP.

Slay has made a career of locking down the opposing team's No. 1 receiver and turning interceptions into huge returns.

This season Slay finished the year with three interceptions.

Malcom Butler was the last cornerback to win Super Bowl MVP after sealing the game winning interceptions when the New England Patriots defeated the Seattle Seahawks, and Slay is more than capable of making a similar play if Mahomes makes a mistake on a throw in his direction.

Slay's odds to win the award are +5000. 

C.J. Gardner-Johnson 

Gardner-Johnson's inclusion on the list may seem as a surprise to some but he has quietly had one of the best seasons of any defensive player in the NFL.

Through playing in only 12 games this year due to injury, Gardner-Johnson was tied for recording the most interceptions in the league with six.

His most impactful game of the year came against the division rival Dallas Cowboys when he recorded two interceptions and two pass deflections to help secure a crucial victory.

We have already mentioned how a defensive back can earn the award with just one game-changing interception and if Gardner-Johnson is able to portray the same prowess at recording them that he showed in the regular season, he could be the difference-maker in who takes home the Lombardi Trophy.

It appears the casinos don't think to highly of Gardner-Johnson's chances at making such an impact by listing him with +15000. 

Offensive long shots

A.J. Brown 

Why start off the list with a player as dangerous as Brown, you might ask? Very simply: he hasn't played up to his normal levels of production from the regular season.

As one of the NFL's most dangerous wide outs he turned 88 receptions into 1,496 yards, 11 touchdowns, and an average of 88 yards per game, and 17 yards per reception. He was also targeted an average of eight and a half times per game.

Throughout the post season, however, these numbers have been down across the board. 

He has recorded only 50 yards, on seven catches, and no touchdowns. His yards per reception has also dropped to only 7.1 while his targets have remained similar at an average of seven through two games.

If Brown has the type of dynamic game we are accustomed to seeing from him the +1400 odds on him to win the award may provide a pretty penny to some gamblers, but if he continues the current postseason trend he may go down as a non-factor when this game is remembered

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