At +110, Tom Brady is the odds-on favorite to be the MVP of Super Bowl LIII.
And, while he very well may win it if the Pats knock off the Rams, the 41-year-old quarterback has not been New England’s MVP this season.
Nope, that honor would have to go to the Patriots’ running backs.
Though they all have different roles and have been used in myriad ways, James White, Sony Michel, and Rex Burkhead have carried the offensive load for the Patriots this season, a shift from how New England usually plays ball.
And that shift has been even more pronounced in the playoffs. In their two postseason wins, New England’s offensive snaps have ended with the ball in the hands of a running back (via a run or a completed pass) nearly 60 percent of the time, the fourth-highest running back usage rate among playoff teams since 2001.
In the Super Bowl, that shouldn’t change much as the Rams have struggled to stop the run (though they have been good against passes to running backs).
“The Rams are a mixed bag, actually ranking last in yards allowed per rush but first in preventing success on tosses to backs,” according to FiveThirtyEight. “That could end up meaning a lot more Michel and a lot less White in the Super Bowl. Or, given the Patriots history, this could all be an elaborate con — and Brady may cross up Los Angeles completely by throwing early and often to Gronkowski and his wide receivers.”
For what it’s worth, Michel is 16-1 to win MVP and White is 20-1.
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