Super Bowl Best Bets, MVP, First TD, Anthem, Gatorade Color
Summary
Quarterbacks are favored to win Super Bowl MVP, with Seattle’s Sam Darnold the frontrunner. New England’s Drake Maye and Seattle receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba are also top contenders, while linebacker Nick Emmanwori is a defensive dark horse.
Other popular wagers include the game’s first touchdown scorer, with Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III and Jaxon Smith-Njigba leading the odds. Prop bets on the national anthem’s length and the Gatorade shower color are also featured, with predictions favoring the anthem finishing in under 125 seconds and a Yellow/Green/Lime Gatorade bath.
When it comes to prop betting, Super Bowl MVP and the First TD of the game are generally two of the most wagered markets. Quarterbacks have historically dominated the MVP award as they’ve won 17 of the last 26, and this year they are the favorites again.
Super Bowl MVP
Sam Darnold, Seahawks +125
Sam Darnold is the clear favorite to win MVP as the Seahawks are favored by 4.5 points in the game. Darnold has thrown for 470 yards, four touchdowns, and zero interceptions in the playoffs. There’s no question that if Seattle wins, Darnold will likely pick up this honor.
Drake Maye, Patriots +275
Drake Maye, who had an MVP-calibre season, will become the second-youngest starting quarterback in Super Bowl history and has led the Patriots to an improbable run. The 23-year-old has thrown for 533 yards, 4 touchdowns, and two interceptions in the playoffs so far. Should the Pats win, it would be because of his play.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks +475
Wide receivers have only won this award five times, with Cooper Kupp the latest recipient. There is no question Jaxon Smith-Njigba is the best receiver in football and had 10 catches for 153 yards and a TD vs the Rams. JSN is elite, a game-breaker, and if he has another 100+ yard game, he could take MVP honors if the Seahawks win.
Nick Emmanwori +8000 (Dark Horse)
The last time the Seahawks won the Super Bowl, linebacker Malcolm Smith was named MVP.
Defensive players rarely win, but if history repeats itself and the Seahawks win, maybe another defensive player gets the honor, and Nick Emmanwori could be that guy.
Super Bowl MVP Odds
Sam Darnold +125
Drake Maye +275
Jaxon Smith-Njigba +475
Kenneth Walker III +750
Rhamondre Stevenson +3300
Rashid Shaheed +3300
Stefon Diggs +4000
Marcus Jones +6600
Super Bowl First TD Scorer
Another highly wagered market is the first TD scorer of the game. In the Conference Games, Kenneth Walker III scored first in the NFC Championship as the favorite at +475, but in the AFC Championship, longshot Courtland Sutton, who was about +1400, recorded the first major.
Kenneth Walker III +425
He scored four TDs in the playoffs, including the first score in the NFC title game. But throughout the season, KW3’s name wasn’t called often, just once as the first scorer.
Jaxon Smith-Njigba +650
JSN scored in both playoff games and has found the end zone 12 total times. He was the first TD scorer in Week 12. But Smith-Njigba is capable of scoring just one long play.
Rhamondre Stevenson +1100
Rhamondre Stevenson hasn’t scored in three playoff games and hasn’t scored the first TD since Week 5. He’ll get the touches in this one, but will it be good enough for the first score?
Hunter Henry +1800 (Dark Horse Pick)
In the wild-card game, Hunter Henry was the first TD scorer in that game. In fact, has scored the team’s first touchdown in four other weeks, meaning he’s targeted by Drake Maye often. If the Pats find the end zone first, Henry could be the target, and at this price, there is massive value.
Super Bowl National Anthem Length Odds
Betting on the length of the National Anthem is always the first wager fans will make. And this year, Charlie Puth’s rendition has bookmakers setting the line at over 2 minutes.
OVER: 125 seconds (-135)
UNDER: 125 seconds (-105)
Super Bowl Controversy
Last year, Jon Batiste’s version had some controversy as some books had the OVER as the win, while others considered it a victory for the UNDER. The total was set at 120.5 seconds, and when Batiste extended the word “brave,” it led to the clock controversy.
Anthem Trends
Over the last ten Super Bowls, the over and under have both hit five times.
The longest version was 2 minutes and 22 seconds by Lady Gaga.
The shortest version was 1 minute and 28 seconds by Reba McEntire.
Prediction
This is essentially a coin clip, but we’re thinking the UNDER 122.5 is the play based on looking at Charlie Puth’s rendition on YouTube. In that version, he played the anthem in about a minute on his piano. While he’ll likely go longer at the Super Bowl, we’re projecting the under this year. BEST BET: UNDER 125 seconds
Gatorade Shower Color
Another popular market is the Gatorade shower. History tells us, this race is wide open as Orange leads with 5, while all the others are at four. So what color will be used by this year’s winning team? Here’s a look at what has happened when the Patriots and Seahawks have won recent Super Bowls.
2019 New England Patriots: Blue
2017 New England Patriots: There was none
2015 New England Patriots: Blue
2014 Seattle Seahawks: Orange
2005 New England Patriots: Transparent
2004 New England Patriots: There was none
2002 New England Patriots: There was none
Gatorade Shower Odds
Orange +240
Yellow/Green/Lime +275
Purple +300
Blue +400
Clear/Water +700
Red/Pink +1400
Prediction
Since this is wide open, the best value here is Yellow/Green/Lime, a three-for-one deal. While anything can happen, we’ll side with the trio with a small wager for Super Bowl Sunday. BEST BET: Yellow/Green/Lime +275
