Super Bowl 2012: Tom Brady, Eli Manning and Playoff Stars That'll Fight for MVP

With the 2012 Super Bowl just a few weeks away, it’s already time to start thinking about which players could take home the MVP.

Stars like Tom Brady and Eli Manning are already making bids for the award, but there are always unsung heroes that show up in big games to steal the spotlight.

All of the following stars are ready to shine in conference championship week, but only one can be bestowed the honor of Super Bowl MVP.

Tom Brady

There is no quarterback in the NFL today that I would trust more in the playoffs than Tom Brady. As bad as his defense has been, with Brady throwing the ball, the Patriots have to be favorites. Now you put the man that just threw for 363 yards and six touchdowns against a slowing Ravens secondary.

As good as the Baltimore defense looked against the Houston Texans, they were playing a rookie quarterback that was forced to air it out. Brady will destroy them.

After mauling the Ravens, Brady and New England will face off with whichever team from the NFC wins this weekend.

Either way, the season ends with the Patriots winning the Super Bowl and Tom Brady MVP…again.

Eli Manning

The New York Giants, and especially Eli Manning, know what it takes to get to the Super Bowl and win it all. They’ve had the meal before, but they want to eat again.

While the 49ers are coming into the NFC Championship game against the Giants playing great football, there is no hotter team in the NFL right now than New York. Add in the fact that Eli Manning just outplayed Aaron Rodgers to send the defending champs home early, and you have an MVP waiting to happen.

Manning will need his running backs to help him, but if he can duplicate the 330 yard performance he had against the Packers and add another three touchdowns through the air, Giants are Super Bowl-bound.

Vernon Davis

After one of the greatest performances by a tight end in the history of the playoffs, San Francisco 49ers stud Vernon Davis looks to cement his legacy with another huge game against the New York Giants.

It was the seven receptions for 180 yards and two touchdowns that made Davis an overnight sensation. But the fans of the 49ers have known about how talented the young star could be.

If mediocre QB Alex Smith continues to lean heavily on Davis, not only does the tight end have a chance to win the Super Bowl MVP, the 49ers have a chance to win the whole thing.

I can’t believe I just said that.

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