Will Canadian players impact NFL Teams’ Super Bowl 50 odds?

This upcoming Super Bowl will be an especially significant one. The NFL will be celebrating Super Bowl 50, the golden anniversary of the historic game. It’ll be held at Levi’s Stadium, the home of the San Francisco 49ers, which is some ways away from Canada. Nevertheless, don’t underestimate the impact of the NFL’s Canadian contingent from making its impact felt, in one way or another, with that game in Santa Clara.

Canada’s NFL representation hasn’t been as impactful as in the NBA, where Steve Nash won league MVP twice and Andrew Wiggins is a budding superstar. But Canadian players have been steadily trickling into the league over the past few years, with some playing crucial parts on contending teams.

Punter Jon Ryan certainly made a difference for the Seahawks in the 2014/15 NFC Championship, and with Seattle once again picked by this U.S. sportsbook to be among those still standing come Super Bowl 50, Ryan will continue to be at the forefront of Canadian participation.

Ryan and the Seahawks won it all back in Super Bowl XLVIII, where he edged out fellow Canadian Orlando Franklin, who was then a member of the Denver Broncos. Franklin signed a long-term deal this offseason to join the San Diego Chargers, a team that looked playoff-bound early last season but fell off due to injury.

Franklin, who played for Chargers head coach Mike McCoy in Denver, will be an important piece in improving the Chargers’ woeful offensive line which was second from the bottom in terms of run blocking last season. If he does help lift the Chargers’ run game to respectability, San Diego will be a team to be reckoned with in the AFC.

And on the opposite side of the line, Ontario-born Tyrone Crawford will be a vital cog in helping the Dallas Cowboys return to the playoffs. Crawford was one of the Cowboys defense’s unsung heroes because of his versatility as both a 3-technique defensive tackle and defensive end.

The Dallas defense was the weak link of the 2014 team, but it still performed above expectations. Crawford was a major part of the unit’s overachievement, and in his fourth year he will be counted on to build from his impressive campaign as part of a potential Cowboys Super Bowl run.

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