Road to the Super Bowl MVP

• Eli keeps MVP award in family

  Move over, Peyton. Make room in the Manning family trophy case, Archie. Baby boy Eli is coming home with hardware all his own -- a Super Bowl ring and an MVP trophy to place alongside the ones his big brother brought back only a year ago.

• MVP Watch: Super Bowl XLII

  There have been several standout performances thus far in the 2007 postseason. But keep in mind the Pete Rozelle Trophy that goes to the Super Bowl Most Valuable Player (not to mention a 2009 Cadillac Escalade Hybrid) is not a cumulative award.

• Defensive Super Bowl MVPs

  History would dictate that the Super Bowl MVP is an award reserved for offensive players, especially quarterbacks (21 times). But these eight defenders would argue otherwise, as they are the only guys on their side of the ball to win a Super Bowl MVP.

• Five unlikely Super Bowl MVPs

  For anyone expecting Tom Brady to run away with his third Super Bowl MVP, here are five previous winners that few could have forecasted.

• Conference Title MVP Watch

  With the exception of Tom Brady, there are no players among the four remaining playoff teams that have the experience of hoisting the Pete Rozelle Trophy that is given annually to the Most Valuable Player of the Super Bowl.

• "Dirt Road" Leads to Gold

  In the buildup to Super Bowl XXXVII between the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and Oakland Raiders, it's hard to believe that many people looked at Bucs free safety Dexter Jackson as a serious candidate for MVP.

• No Sophomore Slump

  After winning rookie of the year honors with the Los Angeles Raiders in 1982, the Heisman Trophy winner from USC capped his second season by earning MVP of Super Bowl XVIII.

• Right Place, Right Time

  After being cut by the Green Bay Packers in 1994, former Rams QB Kurt Warner had no reason to expect he would someday enjoy a productive career as an NFL quarterback. Then he capped a magical season as Super Bowl XXXIV MVP.

• Who's Next: Wild-Card Players to Watch

  There are some big-time players on the eight teams that will play in the first round of the NFL's postseason. Can any of them step up and carry their team all the way to Super Bowl XLII? Here are some prime MVP candidates.