Chris Jones
Rounding out potential MVP candidates had Mahomes not gotten the honors, we turn our attention to the biggest name of this list so far. Chris Jones seldom disappoints in big moments and he was out in full force on Sunday night.
The biggest play of the game from Jones came at the best possible time. The 49ers had marched the length of the field on the first drive in overtime and were facing a 3rd-and-4 on the Chiefs' 9-yard line. Purdy dropped back and was immediately smothered by Jones, forcing the Niners quarterback to throw the ball away quickly. San Francisco was forced to settle for a field goal.
Chiefs DT Chris Jones generated a team-high 6 pressures on 35 pass rushes, 3 of which occurred in under 2.5 seconds.
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) February 12, 2024
Jones pressured Brock Purdy on the 3rd & 4 of the 49ers’ opening OT drive, causing an incompletion and forcing a field goal.#SuperBowlLVII | #ChiefsKingdom pic.twitter.com/DVgKUspNqK
Without Jones getting in Purdy's face immediately, Brandon Aiyuk was wide open for a touchdown and Jauan Jennings was open for the first down. Purdy could have kept the drive alive with connections to either of those guys but Jones went unblocked and forced the field goal attempt.
Jones finished the game with four tackles and two QB hits, but none of his plays in that game were bigger than that pressure on 3rd-and-4 in overtime. That alone would have been enough to win him the Super Bowl MVP honors and with Jones being one of the biggest names on the team, it wouldn't have been a surprise at all if he had won the award.