Rams vs. Bengals Super Bowl LVI Early Favorites to Win MVP (Archive)
While many are discussing the point spread and total on the Rams/Bengals Super Bowl matchup, we will turn our attention to one of the most popular prop bets on the board, the Super Bowl MVP. Let’s discuss our options as we look to keep cashing our NFL picks!
The MVP Prop Board
- Matthew Stafford +120
- Joe Burrow +225
- Cooper Kupp +500
- Aaron Donald +1000
- Ja’Marr Chase +1600 +2800
- Joe Mixon +3300
- Cam Akers +3300
- Evan McPherson +3300
- Jalen Ramsey +4000
- Von Miller +4000
- Tee Higgins +5000
- Sony Michel +5000
- Tyler Boyd +6600
- Trey Hendrickson +8000
- Van Jefferson +8000
The above is only a partial list of the MVP candidates but all of the NFL odds are courtesy of one of the best books in the business, BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review). Okay so before we make a prop bet, prop bet, it is a very good idea to script the game in your mind and then make your wagers based on that mental scenario you have created.
In this case, we see that the usual subjects, the quarterbacks, are at the top of the list with the shortest odds, as they should be. But if we want to whittle this list down then we have to think about the two teams and how they will match up. I have an idea as to how this game will go and I will share it below.
Thinning the Herd
The first thing we must do is pick the winner of the game. Not the team that covers the spread but the team that hoists the Lombardi Trophy aloft at the game’s end. History tells us that the Super Bowl MVP will be on the winning team as only one Super Bowl MVP has come from the losing side.
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You would have to go all the way back to Super Bowl V to find this lone exception. Cowboys’ linebacker Chuck Howley, an original member of Dallas’ famed Doomsday Defense, intercepted two passes and recovered a fumble, and was awarded the Super Bowl MVP trophy despite his Cowboys losing to the Baltimore Colts (yes, they were the Colts at the time), 19-16, back in 1971.
I don’t think Chuck will have any company in the history books after this one is through which is why we must now thin the herd by choosing aside. Which team wins Super Bowl 56? Well, the Rams are 4 ½ point favorites and are ironically at home.
This is a game between two potent offenses but only one strong defense – the Rams. L.A. will also have a mismatch in the trenches as Aaron Donald and Von Miller should wreak havoc with a pedestrian-at-best Cincinnati offensive line.
Joe Burrow is slick but I’m not sure even he is slick enough to be able to match Matthew Stafford’s pass for a pass with this sizeable disadvantage in the trenches. Therefore, if the Rams win, as I believe they will, then the MVP will come from the LA side of things.
Now we can focus exclusively on the Rams list of candidates. I don’t like to state the obvious but Stafford is the logical, as well as the sentimental, choice to win this award. He has spent an entire career in the NFL’s version of purgatory, Detroit, and finally gets a fresh start with a talented team and makes the most of his chance.
It’s a Disney movie waiting to be made. A few longshot alternatives to Stafford could be Aaron Donald at +1000 if he whacks around Burrow all night long, get three sacks, and maybe a few tips. In a low-scoring game, he could be your man.
Odell Beckham Jr. is another candidate with long odds of +2800 and his Lazarus-like comeback with the Rams would be another golden story to tell if he wound up with the MVP in his hands. Lastly, let’s not overlook Cam Akers at +3300. Akers returned from an injury late in the season to give the Rams a boost in the backfield.
Sony Michel had done a fine job in his stead but if Akers gets the ball in two or three goal-line situations and makes the most of it, he could end with three touchdowns as well as the MVP to wrap up his sophomore campaign in the NFL.
While the above candidates will render a much healthier return on your investment, we must harken back to that age-old sports betting maxim, there is no value in losing. Stafford is the smart choice here.
NFL Super Bowl MVP Pick: Matthew Stafford +120 with BetOnline (visit our BetOnline Review)
*The line and/or odds on picks in this article might have moved since the content was commissioned. For updated line movements, visit BMR’s free betting odds product.