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The 14 players with the best odds to be named MVP of Super Bowl LIV - and our pick to win the award
The 14 players with the best odds to be named MVP of Super Bowl LIV - and our pick to win the award
Tyler LaulettaJan 30, 2020, 03:52 IST
AP Photo/Jeff RobersonBetting on Super Bowl MVP is no easy task, but there's money to be made if you can find the right pick.
Super Bowl LIV kicks off on Sunday, with the Kansas City Chiefs and San Francisco 49ers competing to lift the Lombardi Trophy.
After the game, one player will be named MVP, joining a prestigious group of athletes who have performed their best in the biggest game of their career.
Betting on who will take Super Bowl MVP is no easy task, so we'll break down the odds below with hopes of making some money.
Quarterbacks are the favorites to win, but there are some interesting bets on players with longer odds as well.
On Sunday the Kansas City Chiefs will face off against the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl LIV.
After the game, one player will be named MVP. In the week leading up to the big game, gamblers are attempting to predict who will win the award.
Historically, quarterbacks have been favored for the award, with QBs taking 29 of the 54 MVP previous awards. Still, in recent years, other positions have come through to win, including last year when wide receiver Julian Edelman took top honors.
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Take a look below at the 14 players with the best odds of being named MVP of Super Bowl LIV, and our pick to take home the hardware.
How they could win: Tyrann Mathieu is the heartbeat of the Chiefs defense. While the Kansas City offense is the star of the show, this Super Bowl could very well be decided by one or two big plays on defense. Should Mathieu lead the Chiefs in tackles as he did in the AFC Championship, plus come up with a game-breaking interception or scoop-and-score, he could be the long-shot that winds up named MVP.
13. Richard Sherman
Odds: 80/1
How they could win: Richard Sherman is a big-game player, and if the 49ers defense can shut down or contain Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs offense, he'll be a big part of that effort. Sherman has a pick in both of the 49ers' playoff games so far this year. If he can steal one more ball at a pivotal moment in what proves to be a slugfest of a Super Bowl, it's not a stretch to imagine him walking home with the hardware.
12. Emmanuel Sanders
Odds: 60/1
How they could win: While wide receivers are far from the most common award winners, Julian Edelman proved last year at the Super Bowl a wide receiver can be named MVP even in a low-scoring game. Edelman finished with 10 receptions for 141 yards and never found the end zone. Emmanuel Sanders will need to come up with some critical first downs and likely a few scores to repeat the feat.
11. Mecole Hardman
Odds: 60/1
How they could win: The depth of the Chiefs' wide receiving corps makes handicapping the Super Bowl MVP especially tricky. All season, Kansas City has proven that any of their pass catchers can go off for a huge game. Hardman also serves as the chiefs kick returner, giving him an extra opportunity to affect the game on Sunday. Should he come down with a few big catches and maybe return a kick for a score, he could be in contention for MVP.
10. Sammy Watkins
Odds: 40/1
How they could win: Sammy Watkins has been a solid player for the Chiefs when he can stay on the field. He was Kansas City's top receiver in the AFC Championship, making seven receptions for 114 yards and a touchdown. Another performance like that, and a relatively silent day from the other Chiefs receivers and he could cash at 40/1 odds.
9. Deebo Samuel
Odds: 30/1
How they could win: With Emmanuel Sanders as the trusted veteran receiver on the 49ers this year, rookie Deebo Samuel has emerged as a potential future star. He's been rather quiet through the first two games of the postseason, with just five catches for 88 yards and no touchdowns, but if San Francisco decides to start throwing the ball a bit more, Samuel could be in for a big day.
8. Tyreek Hill
Odds: 20/1
How they could win: Anybody who followed Patrick Mahomes' meteoric rise to stardom last season is familiar with the game-breaking speed of Tyreek Hill. As the Chiefs' leading deep threat, he can manifest a big play out of nearly nothing, simply beating his defender off the line and running himself open. He can also be a problem on a few designed run plays.
7. Travis Kelce
Odds: 20/1
How they could win: While the Chiefs wide receivers are as impressive a group as you'll find in the league, tight end Travis Kelce is still the team's top target. Kelce has already likely had his biggest game of the postseason, with 10 receptions for 134 yards and three touchdowns in the Chiefs comeback win over the Texans in the divisional round. With a repeat performance, he'd be a solid bet to win MVP at 20/1 should Mahomes struggle elsewhere on the field.
6. George Kittle
Odds: 18/1
How they could win: Like the Chiefs, the 49ers also rely on their tight end to carry much of the load in terms of offensive production. Still, no tight end has ever won MVP — could Kittle or Kelce become the first?
5. Nick Bosa
Odds: 16/1
How they could win: Dominant defenders have done well for themselves with Super Bowl MVP in recent years, with two of the past six awards going to linebackers. Edge rusher Nick Bosa should be the most dominant defender on the field on Sunday, and could very well disrupt the Chiefs offense with a few sacks and a forced fumble that changes the game. For the 49ers, there's no task more valuable than stopping Mahomes, and Bosa could be the man to do it.
4. Damien Williams
Odds: 12/1
How they could win: It's been more than 20 years since a running back has won Super Bowl MVP. Still, from a betting perspective, starting running backs are a solid bet as it's easier to predict who will have the bulk of the carries than which receiver will make the most of their targets. Damien Williams has five touchdowns over his past three games for the Chiefs, so 12/1 feels like pretty good odds.
3. Raheem Mostert
Odds: 7/1
How they could win: Raheem Mostert was an absolute beast in the NFC Championship, rushing for 220 yards and four touchdowns to help the 49ers punch their ticket to the Super Bowl. With a repeat performance and another day of limited throws from Jimmy Garoppolo, he could quickly emerge as the likely MVP.
2. Jimmy Garoppolo
Odds: +350
How they could win: Quarterbacks will always be the favorites to win Super Bowl MVP — of the 54 awards, 29 have gone to the winning quarterback. If you think the 49ers are going to win this game, Garoppolo is getting better odds to win MVP than the 49ers are on the moneyline. That said, San Francisco has limited Garoppolo in the postseason so far, throwing just eight passes in the NFC Championship.
The Chiefs' high-powered offense should make a few more throws necessary, but if the 49ers are dominant throughout and thus make Garoppolo unnecessary, Mostert or Bosa could come through at longer odds.
1. Patrick Mahomes
Odds: +100
How they could win: The 2018 NFL MVP is the favorite to win Super Bowl honors on Sunday. Mahomes is as dominant a player as we have seen in the NFL over the past two years, and has already led two impressive comeback victories to get the Chiefs to the Super Bowl.
One more great performance and the trophy will likely be his.
So who is the best bet?
If you're looking for longer odds, I like Mecole Hardman as a wild card pick — big special teams plays can define a Super Bowl, and if he has a game-changing return like he did against the Texans, that could be enough to elevate him to the award should Mahomes have a mediocre game.
But while backing the favorite is a boring play, I think Mahomes has earned his spot after the two performances he had leading up to the Super Bowl, and he's my pick to win MVP on Sunday, even at his low odds.
Mahomes is the reason why all of his offensive weapons are such a threat to have a big day on any given Sunday. When considering who to bet on for Super Bowl MVP, it's important to remember that none of them can have that stellar day without him — if Kelce goes off for 100 yards and two touchdowns, there's a good chance that Mahomes threw for 350 yards and four scores.
The Chiefs are leaving with one trophy on Sunday, but Mahomes will be leaving with two.
