Winning a Super Bowl is the pinnacle of every NFL player’s career. But winning Super Bowl MVP? That’s the kind of honor that cements your legacy forever. It’s what separates a great performance from an all-time moment, ensuring your name is etched in history alongside legends like Joe Montana, Tom Brady, and Jerry Rice.
But let’s be honest—sometimes, the voters get it completely wrong. Whether it was a quarterback getting the award by default, a defensive player being overlooked, or just pure incompetence from the decision-makers, there have been plenty of Super Bowl MVP snubs over the years.
Today, we’re taking a look at 10 NFL players who got ROBBED of Super Bowl MVP honors—guys who absolutely deserved the trophy but instead had to settle for just a ring. Let’s get into it.
How did these 10 players not win the Super Bowl MVP award?
Super Bowl LIV: Damien Williams, RB, Kansas City Chiefs
When all was said and done in Miami, the setting of Super Bowl 54, Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs had their first Super Bowl win in 50 years. A monumental accomplishment—no doubt.
And, well, it was no shock when Patrick Mahomes was handed the MVP trophy—if for no other reason than the narrative. I mean, after all, the league had been dying to crown him, and once the Chiefs won, it felt like a foregone conclusion.
Especially with Brady sliding out of the spotlight… the NFL needed a new star to tout.
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The problem? Damien Williams was the real MVP.
Every time the Chiefs needed a big play their journeyman running back came up huge for them—and he actually had impressive counting numbers too.
Williams dominated on the ground and through the air, rushing for 104 yards and a touchdown while adding 29 receiving yards and another score. And when the Chiefs needed one final dagger to seal the game, it was Williams who broke free for a 38-yard touchdown, officially putting San Francisco away.
Mahomes played all right, but when you factor in his two interceptions and inconsistent play through the first three quarters, and the overall stat line of 26 completions on his 42 passes for 286 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions while rushing for another 29 yards and a touchdown wasn’t exactly screaming MVP-level dominance.
Let’s face it: if it was any other player at quarterback, Williams would have been a lock for the award. But instead, Mahomes got the nod, while Williams had to settle for being a footnote in history.
Super Bowl XLVIII: Kam Chancellor, S, Seattle Seahawks
While Malcolm Smith took home MVP honors for his 69-yard pick-six and a fumble recovery, it was a nice story. We should not kid ourselves like the voters did. The fact of the matter is it was the Seattle D that dominated and won this game… And while you can’t give the award to an entire unite, the voters could’ve done better—and given it to the lynchpin of the Legion of Boom, safety, Kam Chancellor.
From the first snap, Chancellor was everywhere, playing safety at a level that we, frankly, may never see again. The man could fly downhill to destroy Denver’s running backs and receivers with the best of them and posted an impressive stat line himself, finishing with 10 tackles, two deflections, and an interception, setting the tone for one of the most lopsided Super Bowls ever.
It is hard to pick a single guy from the Seahawks’ 43 to 8 destruction of the Broncos, but with the way the Legion of Boom, behind Seattle’s pass rush, took control of this game from the beginning—and his individual performance, this one should’ve gone to Chancellor, no doubt about it.
Super Bowl XXXV: Jamal Lewis, RB, Baltimore Ravens
Look, Ray Lewis winning MVP made sense on the surface. The 2000 Ravens had one of the greatest defenses ever, and Lewis was the leader of that unit. But are we talking about the actual impact on the game itself? The MVP should have gone to Jamal Lewis.
But Baltimore’s offense that season, the Super Bowl included, was painfully one-dimensional. After all, Trent Dilfer was their quarterback…
And thus, they relied on Lewis to carry the load in the big game, and he delivered 102 rushing yards and a touchdown on 27 carries, grinding down the clock while the Ravens’ defense suffocated New York.
Meanwhile, Ray Lewis didn’t force a single turnover, didn’t have a sack, and wasn’t even the most statistically dominant player on his own defense.
The MVP voters gave it to him because it fit the narrative, but Jamal Lewis was the reason Baltimore kept moving the chains offensively and was the more deserving player.
Super Bowl III: Matt Snell, RB, New York Jets
Everyone remembers Joe Namath’s “I guarantee it” speech before Super Bowl III. And sure, he backed it up by leading the Jets to an iconic 16-7 win over the heavily favored Baltimore Colts. So, naturally, he won Super Bowl MVP.
But when you look back at the tapes, Matt Snell was the actual reason the Jets won that game.
Namath didn’t even throw a touchdown. The Jets’ offense stopped passing altogether in the fourth quarter, choosing instead to bleed the clock with Snell. Namath literally didn’t throw a single pass!
Meanwhile, Snell finished with 30 carries for 121 yards and a touchdown, along with 40 receiving yards. Against a Baltimore defense that had been the best in the league, Snell ran through them all game long.
Namath made history with his bold prediction—and we are sure he had fun celebrating on Broadway afterward, but on the field, Snell was the real MVP.
Super Bowl XXXI: Reggie White, DL, Green Bay Packers
Yes, Desmond Howard’s 99-yard kickoff return touchdown was a game-changer. And yes, his return numbers were incredible. But was he the most valuable player in Super Bowl XXXI—not a snowball’s chance!
There is no doubt that the honor belonged to Reggie White, plain and simple…
I mean, you have to think that even if Howard wasn’t in there returning kicks, Green Bay would’ve found a way to generate enough offense to complement their star defensive player’s performance.
White wrecked New England’s offensive line all night, recording three sacks and collapsing the pocket on nearly every dropback.
The Packers’ defense smothered Drew Bledsoe, with White at the epicenter of the chaos.
Yes, Howard was great, but when the game needed to be put away, it was White’s back-to-back sacks in the fourth quarter that officially slammed the door shut.
Super Bowls XLII: Justin Tuck, DL, New York Giants
Eli Manning got the Super Bowl MVP for leading the ultimate underdog story, but let’s be real—Justin Tuck was the real reason the Giants did America a favor and pulled off the upset of the century against the 18 and 0 Patriots.
We all remember David Tyree’s helmet catch, but here’s what gets lost in the history books: Tom Brady spent the entire game running for his life.
The Patriots’ record-breaking offense, the one that looked unstoppable all year, was completely neutralized—and Tuck was the focal point, despite much of the attention being put on Michael Strahan in his final year as a pro… it was Tuck! Two sacks, two QB hits, and two tackles for loss. His impact cannot be overstated, he caused absolute chaos week in and week out.
Tuck didn’t just pressure Brady—he bullied him all night, collapsing the pocket, wrecking New England’s blocking schemes, and forcing the greatest quarterback of all time into a consistent state of panic.
For years, people wondered how to beat Tom Brady—and in Super Bowl 42, Tuck wrote the blueprint: unrelenting pressure.
Manning had his moments—he made a few clutch throws—but without Tuck dominating the trenches, there’s no upset, no helmet catch, no 18-1. The Giants won that Super Bowl in the trenches, and Tuck should have been the one holding the MVP trophy.
Super Bowl LI: James White, RB, New England Patriots
28-3. I know the story, you know the story, we all know the story. Tom Brady and the Patriots pulled off the greatest comeback in Super Bowl history, storming back to beat the Falcons in overtime. And, of course, Brady won MVP.
Given the Deflate Gate storyline, it is actually kind of surprising. You have to think that Goodell was desperate to find someone else to claim the honors.
But in the end, it was what would’ve otherwise been expected—and it went to Brady, though if we’re being completely honest, the award should have gone to James White.
White had 14 receptions for 110 yards, a Super Bowl record. He also ran for 29 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winning score in overtime. He converted a critical two-point conversion, made huge plays in the passing game, and was Brady’s go-to guy the entire second half.
Even Brady himself admitted White should have won MVP—and gave him the truck that he was awarded!
But, alas, the voters defaulted to the quarterback, completely ignoring White’s record-breaking performance.
Super Bowl IV: Otis Taylor, WR, Kansas City Chiefs
Len Dawson may have gotten the MVP nod, but let’s be honest—this was a team win in every sense of the word.
Dawson… was… fine—efficient, sure—but nothing about his 142-yard, one-touchdown performance screamed Super Bowl MVP, especially when you add his interception into the equation.
If any offensive player deserved the award, it was Otis Taylor.
Taylor was the most explosive player on the field, hauling in six catches for 81 yards, including the defining moment of the game—a 46-yard touchdown that officially put the Vikings away in the third quarter. It wasn’t just a deep ball—it was a statement, a broken tackle, full-speed sprint to the end zone that slammed the door on Minnesota’s comeback hopes.
Kansas City’s defense could have easily gotten a collective MVP, but if the voters were set on picking an offensive player, Taylor was the obvious choice. Dawson managed the game. Taylor ended it—and accounted for a lot of Dawson’s production in the process!
Super Bowl XV: Rod Martin, LB, Oakland Raiders
Three interceptions. In a Super Bowl. By a linebacker. That’s not just impressive—it’s historic. And yet, somehow, Rod Martin didn’t win Super Bowl MVP.
Instead, the honor went to Jim Plunkett, who threw three touchdowns in the Raiders’ 27-10 win over the Eagles. Now, Plunkett played well, but let’s be real—he wasn’t exactly lighting it up. He finished with just 261 passing yards and completed only 13 passes. Meanwhile, Martin was single-handedly wrecking Philly’s offense, making life miserable for Ron Jaworski. He came away with three of the biggest momentum-swinging plays of the game, notching five solo tackles in addition to his three interceptions.
Not to mention that the Raiders scored 10 of their 27 points off his picks. When you are the only player ever to do something in a Super Bowl, that mark is just about impossible to match; that’s MVP material.
Especially when you factor in the fact that Plunkett was largely capitalizing on the field position that he helped set up—and the porous Philadelphia defense.
Super Bowl XI: Clarence Davis, RB, Oakland Raiders
Fred Biletnikoff won Super Bowl 11 MVP honors, but let’s be honest—running back Clarence Davis was the guy actually carrying the Raiders’ offense that day… and looking back, while Biletnikoff was a Hall of Famer, this particular showdown wasn’t particularly close.
It was on Davis’s back that Oakland was able to steam Minnesota 32-14, finally breaking through for their first Super Bowl win after years of playoff heartbreak.
And while Biletnikoff made some clutch catches, his stat line wasn’t exactly jaw-dropping—four receptions for 79 yards. Solid… Sure. But it’s not exactly MVP-worthy.
Meanwhile, Clarence Davis was unstoppable. The Raiders leaned on him all game, and he shredded the Vikings defense, rushing for 137 yards on just 16 carries—an absurd 8.6 yards per attempt. Every time he touched the ball, he was moving the chains, keeping the Raiders offense rolling while Minnesota had no answer.
Biletnikoff was the big name, yes… and he made a couple of big plays, but Davis was the engine of the offense.
If the MVP had gone to the most dominant player on the field, as it should, Davis would’ve been the one holding the trophy—no doubt!
