The Super Bowl MVP Award is typically reserved for the difference makers. The guys who take home the hardware are usually the ones either throwing or scoring the touchdowns, as scoring points is of course the name of the game.
Which Defensive Players Have Won Super Bowl MVP?
Who’s winning Super Bowl MVP? 🤔 pic.twitter.com/cH29xou7XO
— DraftKings Sportsbook (@DKSportsbook) January 29, 2024
The oddsmakers figure that this year will be no different. The San Francisco 49ers are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs in this season’s iteration of the big game, and the quarterbacks from the two teams are the favorites to win the MVP award. In fact, the nine players with the shortest odds of taking home the hardware this year are all offensive players, including guys like Christian McCaffrey (+450) and Travis Kelce (+1000).
But a defensive player winning Super Bowl MVP isn’t as much of a long shot as this year’s odds would make it out to be. While each of the last 7 players to be named the most valuable was either a quarterback or wide receiver, there have been four defenders who have taken home the award since 2001.
Ray Lewis was the winner back then, as he was the centerpiece of the Ravens’ vaulted defense that season. It happened again two years later, when Dexter Jackson picked off two passes in Super Bowl XXXVII to help the Buccaneers win their first championship.
Could Bosa Or Jones Make An Impact This Year?
Patrick Mahomes is building an insane resume:
• 2x NFL MVP
• 2x 1st-Team All-Pro
• 6-straight AFC Championships
• 2x Super Bowl Champ
• 2x Super Bowl MVP
• $500 Million ContractAnd now, at just 28 years old, he’ll play in the Super Bowl for the 4th time in 5 years 🐐 pic.twitter.com/htY2JLzMco
— Joe Pompliano (@JoePompliano) January 28, 2024
A drought of 10 years without a defensive MVP was snapped in 2014 when Malcom Smith of the Seahawks won it with a pick-6, a fumble recovery, and 9 tackles in a win over the Broncos, and then Von Miller won it two years later when he dominated Cam Newtown and the Panthers with 2.5 sacks and 2 forced fumbles.
Miller was the last defensive player to win Super Bowl MVP.
Can anyone pull off the feat this year? The two players with the lowest odds are the elite stars on both sides, with Nick Bosa coming in with a designation of +6600 and Chris Jones sitting at +7500, via BetOnline.
Patrick Mahomes is the current overall favorite, as he is looking to defend his title of winning both the championship and the Super Bowl MVP honors last season. He is currently listed at +120, while Brock Purdy is just behind at +245.
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