Super Bowl 2012: Each Team's Top Super Bowl MVP Candidate

All the best players have a Super Bowl victory attached to their names, and the absolute best of the best were named the Super Bowl MVP when they won theirs.

Most of the past Super Bowl MVPs are NFL legends. The ones that aren't already in the Hall of Fame soon will be. 

Well, except Dexter Jackson. He just happened to have a very good game at the right time.

At any rate, the question in three weeks will be which player is going to join the ranks of the Super Bowl MVPs?

Well, there are eight teams still standing in the 2012 postseason, and all of them have a shot at going to Indianapolis. 

Their top Super Bowl MVP candidates are listed below.

Baltimore Ravens: Ray Lewis

Ray Lewis already has a Super Bowl MVP to his name, as he helped the Ravens win Super Bowl XXXV by racking up 11 tackles and deflecting four passes.

If the Ravens make it back to the Super Bowl this year, Lewis is going to be right in the thick of things once again. He's older and slower than he once was, but he's still one of the best middle linebackers in the NFL.

If the Ravens win the Super Bowl, it will be because of their defense. It's consistently been one of the very best units in the league for over a decade now, and it was as good as ever in 2011. 

A dominating defensive effort would give the Ravens another Super Bowl win, and Lewis would invariably get the credit for it. He wouldn't just be a sympathy pick, though, as Baltimore's defense cannot be at its best unless he's doing his thing.

If he were to do his thing again in the Super Bowl, he would win another Super Bowl MVP.

Denver Broncos: Tim Tebow

Honestly, who else on the Broncos could it be?

Tim Tebow's an odd player in many ways. When he plays poorly, he plays very poorly and the Broncos lose games. When he plays well, he's just okay and the Broncos barely win games. He gets too much credit every time they do win.

But you have to admit, Tebow does have a way of pulling off the improbable. And if the Broncos make it to the Super Bowl, they would need him to pull off the improbable once again.

If he does, he'll be an easy choice for Super Bowl MVP. Quarterbacks who perform in the clutch tend to get the nod.

Green Bay Packers: Aaron Rodgers

Aaron Rodgers won the Super Bowl MVP last year, passing for over 300 yards and three touchdowns to lead the Packers over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

If the Packers go back to the Super Bowl this year, the possibility exists that Rodgers would be even better. He followed up his Super Bowl-winning season in 2010 by having one of the all-time great seasons for any quarterback in 2011. He's the best in the business.

And rest assured, the Packers wouldn't win the Super Bowl without a great performance from Rodgers. They're a good team, but he's what makes them a great team.

If Rodgers were to win the Super Bowl MVP, he would be the first player to win it twice in a row since Terry Bradshaw in 1979-1980.

Houston Texans: Arian Foster

With Matt Schaub long gone, Arian Foster pretty much has to do it all on his own.

Thankfully, Foster has been up to the task. In his very first playoff game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he rushed for 153 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries. Such performances aren't out of the ordinary for him.

The Texans are going to be hard pressed to make it to the Super Bowl, but if they do it will be because Foster got them there. He's the most important player on the team at the moment.

If he gets them there, the Texans would then need Foster to win it for them. If he were to oblige them, he would be the first running back to win the Super Bowl MVP since Terrell Davis in Super Bowl XXXII.

New England Patriots: Tom Brady

This one's another no-brainer.

Tom Brady has already won three Super Bowls, and he's always won two Super Bowl MVPs. He has a shot to join Joe Montana as the only players to win three Super Bowl MVPs.

The Patriots would need a magnificent performance from Brady to win the Super Bowl. He's really all they have, as their defense is weak and their rushing attack basically wasn't needed in 2011. The pressure to win games is all on Brady's head.

If there's one guy who can deal with this kind of pressure, it's Brady. After all, playing in a Super Bowl is nothing new for him.

New Orleans Saints: Drew Brees

Drew Brees was remarkable in Super Bowl XLIV, completing 32 passes for 288 yards and two touchdowns. For his efforts, he was awarded the Super Bowl MVP.

There are some who think Brees should be the regular-season MVP for the 2011 season. All he did was break Dan Marino's record for passing yards in a single season, and he also threw a career-high 46 touchdown passes.

Without Brees, the Saints are nothing. With Brees, they're legit Super Bowl contenders, and they're not going to win it without him.

If they do, Brees will be an obvious choice for Super Bowl MVP.

New York Giants: Eli Manning

Eli Manning wasn't that great in Super Bowl XLII, but he was good enough when it counted. His heroics led the Giants to one of the biggest upset victories in NFL history, and they ended up being good enough to earn him Super Bowl MVP honors.

The difference between that Eli Manning and the Eli Manning that stands before us today is that this version is far more reliable. Manning had the best season of his career in 2011, picking up a Giants team that would have been hopelessly lost without him.

The Giants face a tough road to Indianapolis, but they can't be counted out as long as Manning is under center. If they get to Indianapolis, we still won't be able to count them out.

If Manning were to lead the Giants to another improbable Super Bowl win, it will be apparent just how good he is.

San Francisco 49ers: Frank Gore

If you put together a list of the most under-appreciated players in the NFL, Frank Gore would have to be at or near the top.

The 49ers offensive attack has been relying on Gore for years now, and he was as productive as ever in 2011, rushing for over 1,200 yards with eight rushing touchdowns. He slowed down in the stretch run, but he should be good to go for the rest of the playoffs.

Two things are going to get the 49ers to Indianapolis: defense and Gore's running.

They would need Gore's running again in order to win the Super Bowl. And though their defense would undoubtedly play a huge role in a win, Gore would have to be given credit for his running.