Super Bowl 58 features the NFL's two best tight ends, Kansas City's Travis Kelce and San Francisco's George Kittle.
Kittle led all tight ends this season with 1,020 receiving yards. Kelce was second with 984 receiving yards. That's opened the possibility for a first-time experience.
Could a tight end win Super Bowl MVP honors for the first time? All eyes will be on QBs Patrick Mahomes and Brock Purdy, but Kelce and Kittle will be two of the most high-profile "X-factors" in this matchup.
Here's a closer look at their Super Bowl odds and some of the best performances by tight ends in the Super Bowl.
Will Travis Kelce win Super Bowl MVP?
Kelce had the fourth-best odds to win Super Bowl MVP at +6000, according to the latest odds from Caesars. That's behind Patrick Mahomes (+135), Brock Purdy (+200), and Christian McCaffrey (+475).
| PLAYER | ODDS |
| Patrick Mahomes | +135 |
| Brock Purdy | +200 |
| Christian McCaffrey | +475 |
| Travis Kelce | +1200 |
| Deebo Samuel | +2500 |
| Isiah Pacheco | +3000 |
| George Kittle | +6000 |
| Rashee Rice | +6000 |
Kelce already holds the single-game Super Bowl record for most yards by a tight end, according to StatMuse. He had 10 catches on 15 targets for 133 yards in the 31-9 loss to Tampa Bay in Super Bowl 55.
That topped his performance the year before when he hauled in six catches for 43 yards and a TD in the 31-20 victory against San Francisco in Super Bowl 54. Last season, Kelce posted six catches for 81 yards and a TD in the 38-35 victory against Philadelphia in Super Bowl 57.
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That is an outstanding track record, and he's been even better in this year's playoffs. Kelce has 23 receptions on 27 targets with 257 yards and three TDs, including 11 catches for 116 yards and a TD in the 17-7 victory against Baltimore in the AFC championship game.
San Francisco linebackers Fred Warner and Dre Greenlaw will have a tough assignment here, but the 49ers allowed just 48.6 yards per game and three TDs to tight ends in the regular season.
Will Kelce's relationship with Taylor Swift influence the Super Bowl MVP voting? That is an external factor that is impossible to gauge – not to mention add fuel to “NFL script” conspiracy theorists. Yes, there is more attention on Kelce now, but that would not be a determining factor in the Super Bowl MVP voting.
The tricky part here is that if Kelce has a great game, then that means Mahomes, who has two Super Bowl MVP awards, would likely be in line for a third MVP award. Quarterbacks have won the Super Bowl MVP award 32 out of 57 times, which comes out to 56.1 percent.
Will George Kittle win Super Bowl MVP?
Kittle has +6000 odds to win the Super Bowl MVP award, the fourth-best odds for a 49ers' player behind Purdy (+200), McCaffrey (+475), and Deebo Samuel (+2000).
Kittle played in the Super Bowl 54 loss to the Chiefs, catching four passes for 36 yards. He dealt with an MCL sprain and a broken foot that season, and he also had a big catch wiped out by an offensive pass interference in that Super Bowl.
In this year's playoffs, Kittle has six catches for 108 yards and a TD in victories against the Packers and Lions. He's been an effective role player in San Francisco's offense, but he's taken a backseat to the 49ers' more high-profile offensive players.
Kittle will also be dealing with a tough matchup. The Chiefs allowed the ninth-fewest yards (759) to tight ends this season, and that included just four TDs. Kittle will have to win every opportunity in the middle of the field to have a chance against a tough group of linebackers that includes Nick Bolton, who had nine tackles and a scoop-and-score touchdown in Super Bowl 57.
In 11 career playoff games, Kittle has yet to hit the 100-yard mark. That could be seen as a requirement to be considered for Super Bowl MVP, and he likely would need to score the game-winning TD to have a real chance.
Has a tight end ever won Super Bowl MVP?
No, a tight end has never won the Super Bowl MVP award in the past 57 years. A wide receiver has won the award eight times, with Los Angeles' Cooper Kupp being the last receiver to win the award in Super Bowl 56. Denver's Terrell Davis is the last running back to win the award. That was in Super Bowl 32.
Best performances by tight ends in Super Bowl history
Even though a tight end has never won the Super Bowl MVP award, there have been some memorable performances that were deserving of consideration. Here's a look at those performances:
John Mackey, Colts (Super Bowl 5)
Mackey caught a 75-yard TD off a tipped pass for Baltimore's only offensive TD in a 16-13 victory against Dallas. Mackey finished with two catches for 80 yards, but Cowboys linebacker Chuck Howley became the only player on a losing team to win Super Bowl MVP honors instead.
Dan Ross, Bengals (Super Bowl 16)
Ross set a Super Bowl record for tight ends with 11 catches, and he scored a pair of second-half touchdowns for Cincinnati in a 26-21 loss to San Francisco. Ross finished with 104 yards and would have been strongly considered had the Bengals won, but quarterback Ken Anderson, who finished 25-of-34 for 300 yards, likely would have won the award.
Vernon Davis, 49ers (Super Bowl 47)
Davis had six catches for 104 yards in San Francisco's 34-31 loss to the Ravens. He was just the second tight end to hit the 100-yard mark in the Super Bowl at that point, but he did not score a touchdown. Joe Flacco earned Super Bowl MVP honors for the winning team.
Rob Gronkowski, Patriots (Super Bowl 52)
Gronkowski played in six Super Bowls, and he scored two TDs in Tampa Bay's 31-9 Super Bowl 55 victory against the Chiefs. His best performance was in Super Bowl 52 when he had nine catches for 116 yards and two TDs against the Eagles. Philadelphia beat New England 41-33, however, and Nick Foles was voted Super Bowl MVP instead.
