The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are your 2021 Super Bowl champs and it is not remotely surprising quarterback Tom Brady took home MVP honors. There is plenty of discussion to be had about whether the GOAT deserved it this time around, but three passing touchdowns in a dominant Bucs win was going to win him the award.
This is the 31st time a quarterback has won the award, and it’s Brady’s record-setting fifth MVP in the big game. The next closest is Joe Montana who won three Super Bowl MVPs. Quarterbacks are regular winners, so it’s no surprise Brady was one of the favorites to win coming into the game. Patrick Mahomes had the shortest odds at DraftKings Sportsbook, installed at -106. Brady was installed at +190.
Brady had a perfectly solid game in the victory. He threw for 201 yards and had three touchdown passes without making any bad mistakes. That being said, this win was a total team effort. His running game was on point, averaging 4.4 yards per carry as they bulldozed the Chiefs line on 28 carries. On the other side of the ball, the Bucs defensive line made Patrick Mahomes’ life miserable. They only secured two sacks, but Mahomes was hurried all night long.
You could point to a whole lot of aspects of the Bucs team making Brady’s life easier, but it’s hard to pinpoint one particular player who clearly deserved the MVP award over Brady. Shaq Barrett had a sack and four quarterback hits and is arguably the best alternative for the win. Lavonte David had a heck of a game as well, but he needed more on the stat sheet. Game MVP awards don’t always do a great job of reflecting what is not on the stat sheet.