Rams pass rusher, Bengals kicker popular Super Bowl MVP bets

A kicker has never been named Super Bowl MVP and only three defensive linemen have won the award in its 55-year history.

But that hasn’t stopped bettors from loading up on Cincinnati Bengals rookie kicker Evan McPherson and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald to be named MVP of Super Bowl LVI on Sunday.

McPherson is the largest liability at the Westgate SuperBook and would cost Caesars Sportsbook and BetMGM six figures each if he was named MVP.

The SuperBook has written 32 tickets on McPherson, who is down to an 80-1 long shot after opening at 200-1.

“I’m not sure if it’s the same person or a group of people,” SuperBook vice president Jay Kornegay said. “That one kind of cracks me up. That’s a lot of tickets on a kicker at this time.”

McPherson, 100-1 at BetMGM, is 12-for-12 on field goals in the playoffs with game winners over the Tennessee Titans in the divisional round and the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game.

“A lot of people will be very happy if he wins it,” Caesars vice president of trading Craig Mucklow said. “There’s always a first for everything.”

Donald is the ticket leader at BetMGM, which took a $7,500 wager to win $120,000 on the three-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year at 16-1 odds to add Super Bowl MVP to his resume.

“The Bengals gave up nine sacks two games ago, so there’s a good possibility if the Rams win the game that Aaron Donald could have three sacks,” MGM Resorts director of trading Jeff Stoneback said.

The record for most sacks in a Super Bowl is three — shared by four players.

Donald is down to 12-1 at BetMGM and Caesars, where he represents the largest liability, in six figures.

“If it’s a close game and the Rams’ offense doesn’t produce, Aaron Donald could win,” Mucklow said. “The defense is for real and the Bengals’ offensive line is not great. If you’re Aaron Donald, what other matchup do you want?”

LA linebacker Von Miller was the last defensive player to win the Super Bowl MVP, helping the Denver Broncos beat the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50 in 2016.

Miller, 50-1 at BetMGM, is another popular choice.

“People love to bet long shots and popular names they’ve heard of and Miller won MVP before,” SuperBook director John Murray said. “People love to bet on stuff they’ve seen happen before.”

Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the +130 favorite at the SuperBook, followed by Bengals QB Joe Burrow at +250 and LA wide receiver Cooper Kupp (6-1), the money and ticket leader at Caesars.

Burrow has almost five times as many tickets on him than Stafford at the SuperBook.

“People love Joe Burrow,” Kornegay said. “My daughter likes Joe Burrow.”

Cincinnati wideout Ja’Marr Chase is 16-1 and Rams receiver Odell Beckham Jr. is 20-1. They’re followed by LA running back Cam Akers and Bengals running back Joe Mixon at 25-1 each.

Akers is one of the most popular plays and worst results for Caesars.

Rams cornerback Jalen Ramsey is a 100-1 long shot and the largest liability at BetMGM, which is on the hook for six figures if he wins.

“The low-risk, high-reward scenario is always attractive for index props,” Kornegay said.

That helps explain the $50 wager at BetMGM to win $10,000 (200-1) on Cincinnati safety Jessie Bates III to win MVP.

Contact reporter Todd Dewey at tdewey@reviewjournal.com. Follow @tdewey33 on Twitter.