Super Bowl MVP Odds: Tom Brady, Russell Wilson Favored To Win Hardware
The New England Patriots will face the Seattle Seahawks in Super Bowl XLIX, and the proposition bets are now available at sportsbooks monitored by OddsShark.com. One of the most basic prop bets is Super Bowl MVP — with Tom Brady as the favorite.
The Patriots quarterback is listed at 8/5 on the odds to win the Super Bowl XLIX MVP, and Seahawks counterpart Russell Wilson is second at 7/2. Seattle running back Marshawn Lynch has the best odds for a non-quarterback at 4/1. Cornerbacks Darrelle Revis (New England) and Richard Sherman (Seattle), as well as Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, have the best odds for a defensive player at 33/1.
In deciding on a Super Bowl MVP, you generally need to have a sense of who will win the game. Linebacker Chuck Howley won the MVP award for the losing Dallas Cowboys in Super Bowl V, but nobody has won it for the losing team since then.
Over the 48 previous Super Bowls, quarterbacks have won the MVP 26 times. The remaining 22 have been split between 13 running backs and wide receivers, nine defensive players and one special teams player. Two defensive linemen, Harvey Martin and Randy White, split the MVP award in Super Bowl XII.
Linebacker Malcolm Smith took home the MVP award in Seattle?s 43-8 win over Denver last year. Smith returned an interception for a touchdown and was tied for the team lead with 10 tackles. Prior to Smith?s MVP win, the last defensive player to win MVP was safety Dexter Jackson in Super Bowl XXXVII. In the ensuing 10 Super Bowls, seven quarterbacks and three wide receivers claimed the award. A running back has not won the MVP award since Terrell Davis at Super Bowl XXXII.
For the Patriots, Shane Vereen at 66/1 has sleeper value. Although LeGarrette Blount likely will get the bulk of the carries, Vereen will be used in the passing game. If the Patriots want to avoid the Seahawks’ ?Legion of Boom? secondary, Vereen catching balls out of the backfield could be key. Wilson threw four interceptions in the NFC Championship Game against the Green Bay Packers, so Revis at 33/1 has some value, too.
For the Seahawks, wide receiver Doug Baldwin is an interesting 33/1 option to win the Super Bowl XLIX MVP award. Baldwin led the team in receptions and had 106 receiving yards in the Seahawks’ win over the Packers. Sherman also is a strong candidate at 33/1, given his ball-hawking ways.
Thumbnail photo via Greg M. Cooper/USA TODAY Sports Images
