3 Chiefs who were deserving of Super Bowl MVP other than Patrick Mahomes

Leo Chenal

When looking back at the Super Bowl and determining the plays that cost the 49ers the most, Leo Chenal was involved in two of them. One was the fumble on the 49ers' first drive of the game and another was blocked extra point attempt after the Niners scored and could have been ahead 17-13.

On that first drive of the game, the 49ers were running roughshod over the Chiefs defense and doing whatever they wanted. It felt like the drive was ultimately going to end in a touchdown to put San Francisco up 7-0 just like that. As Lee Corso says, "Not so fast, my friend". The Chiefs have Chenal and he came up big in that moment.

Chenal forcing that ball out ensured that the game would remain scoreless for at least a little while longer. While the Chiefs went 3-and-out on the ensuing drive, the defense at least did their part to make sure San Francisco didn't get on the board.

Chenal was a force in the run game all night long and was graded as the best run defender in the game, per PFF. He finished with a 94.5 run defense grade, good for first among all defenders.

I mentioned the missed extra point as the other big moment for Chenal and boy, was it! The 49ers scored a touchdown to take a 16-13 lead and were an extra point away from taking a more secure four-point lead.

As we know, of course, Chenal blocked the extra point, keeping it a three-score game, which allowed Patrick Mahomes and company to move the length of the field in the final few minutes to tie things up. Had Chenal not blocked that kick, the Chiefs would have needed a touchdown there instead of a field goal. Massive moment for the second-year linebacker.

Giving a linebacker Super Bowl MVP isn't sexy by any means but Chenal absolutely would have deserved it. Players have been crowned MVP in the big game for lesser performances so nobody who knows anything about football would have been shocked to see Chenal walk away with the title.