New England Patriots: 5 Dark horse Super Bowl MVP candidates

FOXBOROUGH, MA - JANUARY 21: Tom Brady #12 of the New England Patriots celebrates a touchdown with Danny Amendola #80 in the fourth quarter against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the AFC Championship Game at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Elsa/Getty Images) /

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FOXBOROUGH, MA – JANUARY 21: Trey Flowers #98 of the New England Patriots reacts in the third quarter during the AFC Championship Game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Gillette Stadium on January 21, 2018 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /

5. Trey Flowers

Believe it or not, the Patriots leading pass-rusher has an opportunity to win the Super Bowl MVP award on Sunday night. In a ballgame that will likely come down to the trenches, a player like Trey Flowers could impact the game in a large way. If Flowers can get to Nick Foles early and often, he will put the Pats in a position to win their second-straight Lombardi Trophy.

While Flowers hasn’t been able to rack up a plethora of sacks this postseason, he was able to create some chaos for the Atlanta Falcons in Super Bowl LI. According to Pro Football Reference, he finished the game against the Dirty Birds with 2.5 sacks and and four tackles. Needless to say, he led the Pats in sacks during last year’s big game.

That means regardless of his production through the AFC Playoffs this season, Flowers has proven he’s able to come through on football’s biggest stage.

The biggest key for Flowers to have a huge game on Sunday, is whether or not the Patriots can slow down the Eagles rushing attack. If they can hold Jay Ajayi and LeGarrette Blount under three yards per carry, the former Arkansas superstar could have a great day at the office, potentially concluding with an MVP award.

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