Just days away from the Super Bowl, all eyes are on SoFi Stadium and who will win Super Bowl LVI between the Los Angeles Rams and the Cincinnati Bengals.
The current line sees the Rams as the favorites playing on their home field. They are -198 to win while the Bengals’ moneyline sits at +166. The spread features Cincinnati +4, and the over/under for total points is 48.5.
While anticipation is growing for the Super Bowl, there is plenty of news off the field around the NFL. Let’s take a look at some of the biggest stories of the week.
Rodgers Named MVP
For the fourth time in his career, and the second year in a row, Green Bay Packers’ quarterback Aaron Rodgers was named as the NFL MVP. As the announcement came on Thursday, it confirmed Rodgers’ greatness in what has been a very tumultuous season.
Stemming back to the last offseason, Rodgers and the Packers seemed to be at an impasse as Rodgers’ frustrations grew with the only organization he has ever known. After coming to an agreement, the season started off on a bad note as the Packers were embarrassed by over 30 points at the hands of the New Orleans Saints.
Since that point, Rodgers was nothing short of mesmerizing. This season, he threw for 4,115 yards, 37 touchdowns, and just four interceptions. He led the Packers to the number one seed in the NFC, but they were frustratingly ousted by the San Francisco 49ers.
Now, it is decision time again for Rodgers as he weighs whether to return to Green Bay, seek a trade, or move into retirement. While Rodgers is still indecisive, the 38-year-old reportedly is planning to make a decision in the near future.
With his future in limbo, the Packers are currently tied for the fifth-best odds of winning the Super Bowl in 2023 at +1500.
Hall of Fame Class Announced
Also on Thursday, the Hall of Fame Class of 2022 was named at the NFL Honors show. The group will be inducted into Canton, Ohio over the summer.
This year’s Hall of Famers include tackle Tony Boselli (Jaguars), wide receiver Cliff Branch (Raiders), safety LeRoy Butler (Packers), linebacker Sam Mills (Saints and Panthers), defensive end Richard Seymour (Patriots and Raiders), defensive end Bryant Young (49ers), coach Dick Vermeil (Eagles, Rams, Chiefs), and NFL official Art McNally.
More Head Coaches Hired
This week also saw a couple of teams fill their head coaching vacancies. For the Houston Texans, they have promoted defensive coordinator Lovie Smith to be their new head coach.
This is not Smith’s first go-around as a head coach as he has also headed the sidelines in Chicago and Tampa Bay. His best seasons were with the Chicago Bears between 2004 and 2012, where he not only led the team to a Super Bowl, but he also won a Coach of the Year award.
After a failed tenure with Tampa Bay, he went into the college ranks, even serving as the University of Illinois’ head coach. Last season, he joined the Texans’ staff as their defensive coordinator, and will now take over the team hoping to turn around a franchise that went just 4-13 this season.
The Texans have the worst odds in football of winning the Super Bowl next season at +18000.
Elsewhere, the New Orleans Saints also filled their head coaching vacancy by promoting from within. Like Smith in Houston, the Saints are promoting their defensive coordinator, Dennis Allen, to be their new head coach.
Allen struggled in his first tenure as a head coach with the Raiders, going just 8-28. However, after taking over as the Saints’ defensive coordinator in 2015, Allen has become a respected member of the organization and should be able to seamlessly transition into the head coaching role.
New Orleans is +3000 to win next year’s Super Bowl.
