Manning Continues To Lead MVP Candidates In Super Bowl Prop Betting

NFL News - January 26th, 2010 - Written by John

Peyton Manning was the favorite to win the Super Bowl MVP from the beginning of the NFL Playoffs, and has given oddsmakers no reason to change their minds.

After breezing past the Baltimore Ravens and New York Jets, two of the best defensive teams in the AFC, Manning is up against a far easier unit two Sundays from now when his Indianapolis Colts meet the New Orleans Saints. With 623 yards and five touchdowns in the postseason already, Manning leads the way for candidates to to leave Super Bowl 44 as the game's most outstanding player, according to NFL Betting Lines, with 1/1 odds.

Voting begins in the fourth quarter when NFL.com opens it's terminal for fans to cast their ballot electronically. The fan vote counts for 20-percent, while the other 80-percent is determined by on-site media members.

If Manning were to win it, it would be the second time manning won both the regular season and Super Bowl MVP trophies in the same her. Manning won the MVP trophy in his only other Super Bowl appearance in 2007 when he beat the Chicago Bears in Super Bowl 41, which was also played in Miami.

That game, he threw for 247 yards and score against what was then the league's fifth-best defense.

New Orleans' ranked anywhere from 21st to 25th in a variety of defensive categories through the regular season.

The second-best odds go to the quarterback on the other side of the field, who is making his first appearance in the championship after nine years in the league. Drew Brees was the runner-up for the regular season honor after throwing for 4,388 yards and being elected starter for the NFC in the Pro Bowl. His leadership and ease through the playoffs thus far makes him a 9/4 favorite to win the award.

After that, the odds begin marking players with double-digit odds to win the award, with the most prominent being the bounty of wide receivers who will all likely have a part in the game. Both teams have at least three viable wideouts who can break open the game at any moment, particularly because of the team's pass-first mentality.

Indianapolis' Reggie Wayne had 108 yards and a touchdown through the AFC bracket, and leads the way for the second-tier candidates at 10/1. Running backs Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush and Joseph Addai are also at 10/1.

Addai has a good track record in the big game, accounting for 143 total yards (66 rushing, 77 receiving) in Super Bowl 41.

The most appealing target for bettors may be Pierre Garcon, who set an AFC Championship record with 11 catches and 151 yards last week against the New York Jets. Scouts have raved about his growth in the Colts system, and are making him an intriguing possibility for the MVP trophy. If he were to have a repeat performance of the conference championship, he would be squarely in the argument and could trigger a 14/1 payout.

With both teams bringing prolific offenses to the field, it is unlikely a kicker will become the center of the game, thus making Matt Stover and Garrett Hartley the longshots in the prop bet at 75/1.

But don't count Hartley out. After missing the beginning of the year due to a suspension, his year transformed to unforgettable when he kicked a game-winning 40-yard field goal in overtime to send the Saints to the championship.

He told reporters after the game that he hardly a wink the night before and called his father at two in the morning. What he was able to dream about was the subject of the conversation, a vivid premonition that he would kick a game-winning 42-yarder from the right hash to win it.

Maybe tap his phone before deciding on this one.

ODDS TO WIN 2010 SUPER BOWL XLIV MVP

Peyton Manning (IND) 1/1

Joseph Addai (IND) 10/1

Donald Brown (IND) 20/1

Reggie Wayne (IND) 10/1

Pierre Garcon (IND) 14/1

Austin Collie (IND) 20/1

Dallas Clark (IND) 12/1

Dwight Freeney (IND) 30/1

Robert Mathis (IND) 40/1

Antoine Bethea (IND) 50/1

Gary Brackett (IND) 50/1

Clint Session (IND) 50/1

Matt Stover (IND) 75/1

Drew Brees (NO) 9/4

Pierre Thomas (NO) 10/1

Mike Bell (NO) 20/1

Reggie Bush (NO) 10/1

Marques Colston (NO) 12/1

Devery Henderson (NO) 20/1

Robert Meachem (NO) 25/1

Lance Moore (NO) 50/1

Jeremy Shockey (NO) 20/1

David Thomas (NO) 50/1

Darren Sharper (NO) 28/1

Jonathan Vilma (NO) 40/1

Will Smith (NO) 40/1

Garrett Hartley (NO) 75/1

Field (Any Other Player) 10/1