The last time that the Baltimore Ravens were in the Super Bowl linebacker Ray Lewis was named the Most Valuable Player of the contest.
Can Lewis repeat that feat on February 3 as his Ravens take on the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII in New Orleans?
Lewis is third at 6/1 on the odds to win the Super Bowl MVP at , which has him behind the two starting quarterbacks for the game - the Niners' Colin Kaepernick is the favorite at 7/4 on the Super Bowl MVP odds list, with the Ravens' Joe Flacco at 5/2.
Kaepernick wasn't even a starter until Week 11 of the season, proving that it's not always the glam QB or star wide receiver that gets the Super Bowl MVP odds attention.
Niners running back Frank Gore then holds down 17/2 odds on that Super Bowl prop bet at , with Ravens running back Ray Rice at 12/1 odds. San Francisco wide receiver Michael Crabtree is at 16/1 on the Super Bowl MVP odds, with Baltimore counterpart Anquan Boldin at 18/1.
Here are the complete odds to win the Super Bowl MVP award (as of Jan. 22, 2013):
Odds to Win Super Bowl MVP at
Colin Kaepernick (SF) QB 7/4
Joe Flacco (BAL) QB 5/2
Ray Lewis (BAL) LB 6/1
Frank Gore (SF) RB 17/2
Ray Rice (BAL) RB 12/1
Michael Crabtree (SF) WR 16/1
Anquan Boldin (BAL) WR 18/1
Torrey Smith (BAL) WR 20/1
Vernon Davis (SF) TE 22/1
Aldon Smith (SF) LB 25/1
Dennis Pitta (BAL) TE 33/1
Ed Reed (BAL) FS 33/1
Randy Moss (SF) WR 40/1
LaMichael James (SF) RB 50/1
Terrell Suggs (BAL) LB 50/1
Dashon Goldson (SF) FS 66/1
David Akers (SF) K 66/1
NaVorro Bowman (SF) LB 66/1
Patrick Willis (SF) LB 66/1
Bernard Pierce (BAL) RB 75/1
Delanie Walker (SF) TE 75/1
Justin Tucker (BAL) K 75/1
Ted Ginn Jr. (SF) WR 75/1
Alex Smith (SF) QB 100/1
The Field 22/1
Past Super Bowl MVP Winners
| Game | Winner | Team | Position |
| I | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| II | Bart Starr | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| III | Joe Namath | New York Jets | Quarterback |
| IV | Len Dawson | Kansas City Chiefs | Quarterback |
| V | Chuck Howley | Dallas Cowboys | Linebacker |
| VI | Roger Staubach | Dallas Cowboys | Quarterback |
| VII | Jake Scott | Miami Dolphins | Safety |
| VIII | Larry Csonka | Miami Dolphins | Running back |
| IX | Franco Harris | Pittsburgh Steelers | Running back |
| X | Lynn Swann | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
| XI | Fred Biletnikoff | Oakland Raiders | Wide receiver |
| XII | Harvey Martin | Dallas Cowboys | Defensive end |
| XII | Randy White | Dallas Cowboys | Defensive tackle |
| XIII | Terry Bradshaw | Pittsburgh Steelers | Quarterback |
| XIV | Terry Bradshaw | Pittsburgh Steelers | Quarterback |
| XV | Jim Plunkett | Oakland Raiders | Quarterback |
| XVI | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| XVII | John Riggins | Washington Redskins | Running back |
| XVIII | Marcus Allen | Los Angeles Raiders | Running back |
| XIX | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| XX | Richard Dent | Chicago Bears | Defensive end |
| XXI | Phil Simms | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| XXII | Doug Williams | Washington Redskins | Quarterback |
| XXIII | Jerry Rice | San Francisco 49ers | Wide receiver |
| XXIV | Joe Montana | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| XXV | Ottis Anderson | New York Giants | Running back |
| XXVI | Mark Rypien | Washington Redskins | Quarterback |
| XXVII | Troy Aikman | Dallas Cowboys | Quarterback |
| XXVIII | Emmitt Smith | Dallas Cowboys | Running back |
| XXIX | Steve Young | San Francisco 49ers | Quarterback |
| XXX | Larry Brown | Dallas Cowboys | Cornerback |
| XXXI | Desmond Howard | Green Bay Packers | Kick returner/ |
| XXXII | Terrell Davis | Denver Broncos | Running back |
| XXXIII | John Elway | Denver Broncos | Quarterback |
| XXXIV | Kurt Warner | St. Louis Rams | Quarterback |
| XXXV | Ray Lewis | Baltimore Ravens | Linebacker |
| XXXVI | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Quarterback |
| XXXVII | Dexter Jackson | Tampa Bay Buccaneers | Safety |
| XXXVIII | Tom Brady | New England Patriots | Quarterback |
| XXXIX | Deion Branch | New England Patriots | Wide receiver |
| XL | Hines Ward | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
| XLI | Peyton Manning | Indianapolis Colts | Quarterback |
| XLII | Eli Manning | New York Giants | Quarterback |
| XLIII | Santonio Holmes | Pittsburgh Steelers | Wide receiver |
| XLIV | Drew Brees | New Orleans Saints | Quarterback |
| XLV | Aaron Rodgers | Green Bay Packers | Quarterback |
| XLVI | Eli Manning | New York Giants | Quarterback |
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There will be three former Super Bowl MVPs on the field in Super Bowl XLVI between the New England Patriots and New York Giants but the only double-winner is the runaway pick as top betting choice for this year.
Tom Brady is +115, by far the shortest Super Bowl MVP odds on the board at 5Dimes. His counterpart, the MVP of Super Bowl 42 four years ago, is Eli Manning, second at +175.
And the third member of this elite group is a whopping 66/1 longshot. Deion Branch won the award at Super Bowl 39 as the Patriots beat the Eagles.
Why are the QBs so far ahead of the field when it comes to Super Bowl MVP odds? Because they usually win the award. Four of the past five winners were QBs, with only Santonio Holmes - then with Pittsburgh - breaking up the run.
And running backs almost never win, which accounts for the longshot odds of Ahmad Bradshaw and Benjarvus Green-Ellis at +3000 and +4000 respectively.
The last RB to win the award was Terrell Davis for Denver back at Super Bowl 32. Since 1985 it has only happened three times with Emmitt Smith in Dallas and Ottis Anderson for the Giants also winning the award at that position.
Of course, both the Giants and Patriots love to pass, but the Giants could be the type of team to use the 1-2 punch of Bradshaw and fullback Brandon Jacobs to good effect. If they can establish a ground game, it keeps Brady off the field, limiting his chances to earn MVP votes.
The third pick for Super Bowl XLVI isn't even practising this week. Patriots TE Rob Gronkowski has a leg injury, but oddsmakers at 5Dimes respect his gamebreaking skills, making him +700.
Wideouts Wes Welker and Victor Cruz are next at +1400, while Hakeen Nicks is +1600.
Don't think it's worth the risk of picking a defensive player like Jason Pierre-Paul? The defensive player of the year candidate is a huge +5500 longshot (that's 55/1 odds) and Vince Wilfork is +6000 for New England.
More defensive players have won the award in the past 15 years (3) than running backs (Ray Lewis, Larry Brown and Dexter Jackson, who had two INTs for Tampa Bay).
Check out the full list of Super Bowl XLVI MVP odds courtesy of 5Dimes and watch for injury situations during the week to change these numbers.
Tom Brady +115
Eli Manning +175
Rob Gronkowski +700
Victor Cruz +1400
Wes Welker +1400
Hakeem Nicks +1600
Aaron Hernandez +1600
Ahmad Bradshaw +3000
BenJarvus Green-Ellis +4000
Mario Manningham +5000
Jason Pierre-Paul +5500
Brandon Jacobs +6600
Vince Wilfork +6600
Deion Branch +6600
Stevan Ridley +8000
Stephen Gostkowski +8000
Danny Woodhead +8000
Julian Edelman +10000
Osi Umenyiora +12500
Sterling Moore +12500
Chad Ochocinco +12500
Chris Canty +15000
Brandon Spikes +15000
Kevin Faulk +15000
Justin Tuck +15000
