Ranking the Top 25 Players in Super Bowl LV
Welcome to Super Bowl week, featuring a total of more than 100 active NFL players on the rosters of the Kansas City Chiefs and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Most of those players won't make an impact in Super Bowl LV Sunday evening in Tampa, but those who are most likely to change the game one way or another are on the list below.
With career accomplishments, recent production, talent and projected roles factoring in, we've ranked the top 25 players slated to take the field at Raymond James Stadium on Sunday night. The result? A list with 15 Buccaneers (including nine Tampa Bay defenders), but one that contains four Chiefs in the top five.
Altogether, five defensive backs, three edge defenders, three interior defensive linemen, two off-ball linebackers, four wide receivers, three offensive linemen, two running backs, one tight end and two quarterbacks (duh) made the cut.
Here's the who, where and why.
25-21. Whitehead, Hardman, Marpet, Suh, Edwards-Helaire
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25. Buccaneers S Jordan Whitehead
The third-year fourth-round pick forced two fumbles in the NFC title game before suffering a shoulder injury that has cast doubt on his status for Super Bowl LV. Regardless, he's become a tremendous player against both the run and pass and has a penchant for big plays.
24. Chiefs WR Mecole Hardman
The electric sophomore second-round pick is sometimes lost in the shuffle with Sammy Watkins and Demarcus Robinson also fighting for attention behind top Kansas City targets Travis Kelce and Tyreek Hill, but he's begun to separate from that pack. Hardman had 62 scrimmage yards in K.C.'s divisional-round win over the Cleveland Browns and then scored a touchdown and gained 50 yards on an end-around in the conference championship game against the Buffalo Bills.
23. Buccaneers G Ali Marpet
The sixth-year veteran has been penalized just 12 times the last four seasons in Tampa, and according to Pro Football Focus he was responsible for zero sacks in 2020. He's also a steady run-blocker and a big reason Ronald Jones II and Leonard Fournette have experienced so much success in the Buccaneers backfield this year.
22. Buccaneers DL Ndamukong Suh
The three-time first-team All-Pro is no longer as dominant as he used to be, but Suh still frequently wreaks havoc and makes a tremendous impact up front for the Bucs. At 34, he generated six sacks and 19 quarterback hits while leading the way for the league's top-rated run defense in 2020. And his very presence helps those surrounding him.
21. Chiefs RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire
The rookie first-round pick stepped into the primary running back role with the Chiefs and compiled 1,100 scrimmage yards in 13 games in 2020. He struggled against the Bills last week in his return from a hip injury, but he played a huge role in late-season road wins over the Las Vegas Raiders and New Orleans Saints and remains the most dangerous weapon in a deep Kansas City backfield.
20-16. Breeland, Murphy-Bunting, Winfield, Vea, Reiter
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20. Chiefs CB Bashaud Breeland
Tyrann Mathieu gets all of the attention in the Chiefs secondary, but Breeland surrendered completions on just 50 percent of the passes thrown into his coverage in 2020. That was the second-lowest rate in the league among corners targeted at least 60 times. He's picked off multiple passes in six of his seven pro seasons. The 28-year-old isn't a star, but he's a very solid starter in a key spot.
19. Buccaneers CB Sean Murphy-Bunting
You can argue for days over who the Bucs' best corner is, but there's little doubt that Murphy-Bunting is the hottest. The team's primary slot cover man has intercepted three passes and surrendered just 6.7 yards per target in Tampa Bay's three postseason outings. That momentum gives him the edge over the talented but still unreliable Carlton Davis.
18. Buccaneers S Antoine Winfield Jr.
A candidate for the Defensive Rookie of the Year award, Winfield was all over the field this season for the Bucs. He had three sacks, two forced fumbles and an interception to go along with 94 tackles in a penalty-free campaign, but his impact in every phase of the game went well beyond those numbers.
17. Buccaneers DL Vita Vea
The third-year No. 12 overall pick is coming off a significant ankle injury, but he managed to bring some pressure in limited action against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game and he should be even closer to 100 percent in the Super Bowl. Vea's PFF grade was through the roof before he suffered that injury in October.
16. Chiefs C Austin Reiter
The 29-year-old, who will likely have to deal with Vea and Suh frequently on Super Bowl Sunday, gave up zero sacks and took zero penalties on 867 snaps in 2020, according to PFF. With Kansas City likely to be without its starting offensive tackles, Reiter might the team's best and most important pass-blocker against a fierce defensive front.
15-11. Clark, Fournette, Godwin, Evans, Wirfs
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15. Chiefs edge Frank Clark
Kansas City's top edge-rusher made the Pro Bowl with 15 quarterback hits despite settling for six sacks in 2020. He did, however, record two sacks and two quarterback hits in the AFC title game and he's now up to seven sacks in five playoff games with the Chiefs. That gets him extra credit here, along with the fact he has a pair of double-digit-sack seasons under his belt.
14. Buccaneers RB Leonard Fournette
The 26-year-old former No. 4 overall pick with the Jacksonville Jaguars is finally putting it together with the Bucs. He leads the league with 313 scrimmage yards this postseason and he's scored in each of Tampa Bay's three playoff games. With five 12-plus-yard gains in January, he has essentially supplanted Ronald Jones II as the top option in that backfield.
13. Buccaneers WR Chris Godwin
It's been a bit of an off, injury-impacted season for the 2019 Pro Bowler, but he did put up 133 yards in Week 17 and he had a critical 52-yard grab on a game-defining touchdown drive in last week's victory over the Packers. He looks healthier now than he did much of the year and appears to be finding a groove.
12. Buccaneers WR Mike Evans
The seven-time 1,000-yard receiver also hasn't been himself much of the year, with injuries also playing a role in this case. But Evans is still one of the most dangerous offensive players in the sport, and he's still gone over 100 yards in three of his last six games.
11. Buccaneers OT Tristan Wirfs
Just days before his 22nd birthday, Wirfs has already become one of the best offensive tackles in the league. The No. 13 overall pick in the 2020 draft took just two holding penalties without missing a snap as a rookie, and according to PFF he's been responsible for just one sack on Tom Brady all year (including the postseason).
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10. Buccaneers Edge Jason Pierre-Paul
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Jason Pierre-Paul has never fully lived up to a 16.5-sack sophomore season with the New York Giants in 2011, but the 32-year-old edge-rusher has registered at least seven sacks in each of his last five seasons and he made the Pro Bowl with 9.5 sacks, four forced fumbles, six passes defensed, two interceptions and two fumble recoveries in 2020.
JPP recorded two sacks, two tackles for loss and two quarterback hits in Tampa Bay's conference championship win over the Packers, and he has Super Bowl experience that could come in handy Sunday as he matches up with an offensive line that will likely be without three starters from last year's Super Bowl.
The three-time Pro Bowler has rebuilt his career in impressive fashion since suffering a life-altering hand injury as a result of a fireworks accident in 2015. Now, he'll be one of the key players on the field in Super Bowl LV.
9. Chiefs S Tyrann Mathieu
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After receiving the honor for a second consecutive season, Tyrann Mathieu is now a three-time first-team All-Pro safety. But the Honey Badger is more than just a safety. He's one of the most versatile players in the league and a slot cornerback as well.
There's nothing the 28-year-old doesn't do well, and he's a top-of-the-line playmaker to boot. He intercepted six passes in 2020 and now has 10 picks, 21 passes defensed and two sacks the last two years.
This season, opposing quarterbacks had a passer rating of just 60.2 when throwing into Mathieu's coverage. He was completely dominant in that field and every other aspect of the game in Kansas City's divisional-round victory over the Browns, and he very well could be a difference-maker again on Super Bowl Sunday.
8. Buccaneers LB Lavonte David
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One of the most underrated stars of this era, Lavonte David has mastered pass and run defense as an elite off-ball linebacker in Tampa.
The 31-year-old is somehow just a one-time first-team All-Pro, but he was a second-teamer in 2020 after recording 100-plus tackles for the eighth time in his nine-year career. He also allowed just 4.5 yards per target into his coverage, which was the lowest mark in the NFL among defenders targeted 80-plus times.
Beyond that, David is the heart and soul of the Tampa Bay defense. He sets the tone with his consistently reliable play, and his six forced fumbles in the last two seasons say a lot about his ability to make plays despite rarely rushing the passer.
David won't let superstar tight end Travis Kelce walk all over the Bucs defense on Sunday.
7. Buccaneers LB Devin White
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Nor will Devin White, who has teamed up with David to form arguably the best inside linebacker duo in the NFL.
Two years into an extremely promising career, the 2019 No. 5 overall pick has 231 tackles, 11.5 sacks, 21 quarterback hits, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and two defensive touchdowns. He might have been the best player on the field when Tampa Bay upset the New Orleans Saints on the road in the Divisional Playoffs, and he recovered a fumble for the second week in a row in the NFC title game.
White is everywhere, and the energy he brings to the league's No. 1-ranked run defense is beyond measure. He and David feed off each other, and both have the ability to put together MVP performances against the Chiefs' heralded offense in the Super Bowl.
6. Buccaneers Edge Shaquil Barrett
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A run on Bucs linebackers concludes with Shaquil Barrett, who led the NFL with 19.5 sacks in 2019, "cooled off" in 2020 but still recorded 16 quarterback hits and eight sacks with a target on his back, and is now coming off a three-sack, four-hit performance at Lambeau Field in the NFC Championship Game.
In addition to being an elite pass-rusher with superb finishing ability, the 28-year-old is a sneaky-good run defender, a sure tackler and a top-notch all-around player who has missed just four games the last six seasons as a member of the Bucs and Denver Broncos.
He's the only player in football with 30 or more regular-season and playoff sacks since the start of 2019, and—like Pierre-Paul—he could get to tee off against a depleted Kansas City offensive line in Super Bowl LV.
5. Chiefs DL Chris Jones
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If not for Patrick Mahomes and a bias toward quarterbacks in general, Chris Jones might have been the MVP of Super Bowl LIV.
The havoc-wreaking interior defensive lineman hardly showed up on the stat sheet in that game, but he consistently disrupted the San Francisco 49ers passing game by pushing the offensive line and getting his hands on Jimmy Garoppolo passes. That capped a Pro Bowl season for Jones, who recorded 15.5 sacks in 2018 and was a Pro Bowler again in 2020.
Only three NFL defenders had more quarterback hits this season than the 26-year-old 2016 second-round pick (28). And he was again a force despite again not putting up noticeable statistics in Kansas City's AFC title game victory over Buffalo.
The inside battle between Jones, Marpet and Bucs center Ryan Jensen could very well decide this game.
4. Chiefs WR Tyreek Hill
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So could the battle between Murphy-Bunting and Tyreek Hill, who might be the fastest and most dangerous wide receiver in the NFL and is coming off his second first-team All-Pro season at that position.
The 26-year-old scored 17 touchdowns during the regular season and has since added 17 catches and 282 yards in a pair of playoff games. His unbelievable 71-yard second-half catch-and-run against the Bills essentially broke that game open and punched Kansas City's ticket to Tampa.
Hill has earned Pro Bowl honors in all five of his pro seasons and is on a Hall of Fame track on the brink of his second Super Bowl appearance in as many years. He's clearly the top wide receiver in this game, and he'll enter Sunday as a prime MVP candidate.
3. Chiefs TE Travis Kelce
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But Hill didn't even have the most notable pass-catching season on the Chiefs roster in 2020, because Travis Kelce also earned first-team All-Pro honors while compiling more receiving yards (1,416) than any tight end in NFL history.
Hill might be Mahomes' most dangerous target, but Kelce is his most consistently dominant target. He's compiled at least 65 yards in 15 of his 17 games this season, and he dropped just two of the 145 passes that came his way during the regular season.
The 31-year-old six-time Pro Bowler has added 21 receptions, 227 yards and three touchdowns in two playoff games, bolstering a potential Hall of Fame resume ahead of his second Super Bowl appearance.
2. Buccaneers QB Tom Brady
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Had Tom Brady made the Super Bowl one year ago, he likely wouldn't have ranked this high. And had the Bucs still managed to make the Super Bowl with Brady playing the way he was before Tampa Bay's season-saving Week 13 bye, he'd likely rank below the four Buccaneers linebackers that dominate the bottom half of the top 10 portion of this list.
But the oldest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history turned his age-43 season around in remarkable fashion down the stretch. And while he's hit some speed bumps in the playoffs, his 19-to-4 touchdown-to-interception ratio over the course of a seven-game winning streak is a testament to his perseverance.
Brady quarterbacks one of the most explosive offensive teams in football, but he's not just a game manager and he's somehow rediscovered his deep ball. During the first 12 weeks of the season, the six-time champ had more picks than touchdowns and a sub-80 passer rating on deep attempts. Since then, he's thrown nine touchdown passes to only four interceptions and has a 110.2 rating on those throws.
He may not be human.
1. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes
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There won't likely be any arguments here.
Patrick Mahomes was the league MVP in 2018, the Super Bowl MVP at the end of the 2019 season and is the favorite to win that award again Sunday in Tampa. He's the highest-rated qualified passer in NFL history and he's arguably already a Hall of Famer at the age of 25.
Mahomes has 17 touchdown passes to two interceptions in seven career playoff games, six of which were Kansas City wins. And he's coming off the most prolific playoff passing performance of his career thus far in a title game victory over the Bills.
He's not just the best player in this game, but he's the best player in the game.
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