Super Bowl 2021 MVP Odds—From Patrick Mahomes to Tom Brady, the Favorites Ranked

Patrick Mahomes could become the second quarterback in NFL history after Tom Brady to win two Super Bowls in his first four seasons in the league.

Should the Kansas City Chiefs win Super Bowl LV on Sunday night, Mahomes could also accomplish a feat Brady has not managed—joining Bart Starr and Terry Bradshaw as the only players to grab back-to-back MVP crowns in the NFL championship game.

Mahomes is the favorite to take home the award, but Brady is a close second as he chases a record fifth Super Bowl MVP in his first season with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Here's a breakdown of some of the main candidates to take the award in Super Bowl LV.

Patrick Mahomes

In the 54 previous editions of the Super Bowl, the MVP award has gone to a player on the winning team on 53 occasions and 30 times to a quarterback. It is therefore no surprise to see Mahomes as the consensus pick to win the accolade on Sunday night, given that the Chiefs are 3.5-point favorites over the Buccaneers.

The 25-year-old took home the award 12 months ago as the Chiefs erased a 10-point deficit in the fourth quarter to defeat the San Francisco 49ers 31-20, with Mahomes leading Kansas City to score on three consecutive drives.

A 10-11 favorite to be named MVP, Mahomes passed for a season-high 462 yards and three touchdowns when the Chiefs won 27-24 in Tampa in Week 12.

Kansas City could adopt a similar pass-heavy approach on Sunday, as the Bucs rank first in the NFL in DVOA rush defense, according to Football Outsiders.

Mahomes, however, will play behind a makeshift offensive line with the Chiefs missing starting left tackle Eric Fisher and right tackle Mitchell Schwartz. Whether that will stop the NFL's best offense remains to be seen.

Tom Brady

Four of Brady's six Super Bowl rings have come with the MVP award, an NFL record. At 2-1, Brady has the second shortest MVP odds behind Mahomes and it would be no surprise to see him add a fifth Super Bowl MVP crown to his collection if he leads the Bucs to a first Vince Lombardi Trophy in 18 years.

In his first season in Tampa, Brady has looked as close to his peak as is possible for a man six months short of his 44th birthday. He has passed for 4,633 yards—the third highest in the NFL behind Deshaun Watson and Mahomes—and scored 40 touchdowns during the regular season, his best figures since 2015 and 2007 respectively.

Although he is no longer infallible—his three interceptions against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game could have cost Tampa the game—betting against Brady on the biggest stage of all remains risky.

Tyreek Hill

The Chiefs wide receiver had nine catches for a postseason franchise record 172 yards in the 38-24 win over the Buffalo Bills in the AFC Championship Game—and has the shortest odds to win the MVP award of any non-quarterback player at 9-1.

Tampa Bay's pass defense is ranked 21st in the NFL and the Bucs are all too familiar with the challenge of slowing down the fastest receiver in the NFL, who torched them to the tune of 203 receiving yards in the first quarter alone in Week 12.

Hill finished the game with 13 catches for 269 receiving yards—both career highs—and could wreak havoc again on Sunday.

Travis Kelce

A 10-1 shot to be the MVP of Super Bowl LV, Kelce has become the first tight end to have two 100-catch seasons and this year set a single-season yardage record for a tight end with 1,416.

In the AFC Championship Game against the Bills, Kelce finished with 13 receptions—the most in a single championship game in league history—for 118 yards and two touchdowns.

Kelce's five postseason games with at least 100 receiving yards are the most for any tight end in NFL history, an ominous stat for a Bucs defense that has allowed the sixth most touchdowns and receptions to tight ends this season.

Devin White

At 40-1, White has the shortest odds of all defensive players in Super Bowl LV on the back of a dominating performance against the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Championship Game, where he completed a franchise playoff record 15 tackles.

The second-year linebacker didn't play against Washington in the Wild Card Round but accumulated 26 tackles, one pick and an NFL-best two forced fumbles in his two playoff appearances.

Stopping Mahomes and the Chiefs' high-octane offense is pivotal to Tampa Bay's chances and White could have a crucial role to play.

Jason Pierre-Paul

Since the turn of the millennium, only four defensive players have won the Super Bowl MVP award. Pierre-Paul is 100-1 to follow in the footsteps of former Bucs safety Dexter Jackson, who took the accolade in Super Bowl XXXVII, but he's a long shot worth considering.

When the Bucs played the Chiefs in Week 12, Pierre-Paul finished with eight pressures and a sack, and enters the Super Bowl ranked second and third in interceptions and forced fumbles and sixth in sacks among edge rushers in the NFL.

According to Football Outsiders, the Bucs are third in DVOA defensive ratings, so could thrive against a makeshift Chiefs offensive line.