In a matter of a few weeks, Drake Maye, quarterback for the New England Patriots, has just become the front runner for Most Valuable Player after a dominant performance against the New York Jets. In a dramatic turn of events late in the season, Matthew Stafford is falling down the rankings and will come down to one last performance in week 17.
All eyes were on the New England Patriots, as a familiar face returned to Foxborough. Mike Vrabel was named the new head coach of the team back in January of 2025, after he was fired from the Tennessee Titans following the 2023 season. It was a fan-favorite hiring as Vrabel played for the Patriots from 2001 to 2008, winning three super bowls in that span. After finishing the 2024 season 4-13, Vrabel was determined to bring winning football back to New England.
One of the key pieces to the projected success, second-year quarterback, Drake Maye. After starting the year 1-2, the Patriots rattled off 10 wins in a row, backed by the impressive performances from Maye. 8 of these games with over 250 passing yards and at least 65% completion rating, quickly put Maye in the MVP conversations. There was another name in the NFL who was doing very similar things, but a little better and a more known name.
Matthew Stafford, quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams, is having a career year in his 17th season in the NFL. Winning 9 of 11 games in the middle of the year, Stafford started gaining MVP traction. Having 30 touchdown passes through those same 11 games to just 2 interceptions is what catapulted him in the MVP race. In what looked like a no-doubt MVP nod, the 37-year-old quarterback’s lead was overtaken by a young sensation, ready to make a name for himself.
In week 17 of the NFL season, the Patriots traveled to MetLife Stadium to take on their division rival, the New York Jets. Although the game was scheduled to take place at 1pm, there wasn’t much of a game, as the Patriots dominated the Jets 42-10. Maye finished 19- of-21 for 256 yards and five touchdowns before being pulled in the third quarter with the game out of reach. This is exactly what you want to see when voting for MVP.
Meanwhile, on Monday Night Football, the Rams travelled to Atlanta to take on the Falcons, on what was supposed to be an easy week for Stafford and the team. This was not the case, and it was evident early on. After the Falcons ended the first quarter with a 7-0 lead, the Rams’ first possession in the second quarter was a pick-six from Stafford, tying him for most all-time pick-sixes in NFL history with Brett Favre (32).
Two possessions later, Stafford threw his second interception of the game, which ultimately set up the Falcons to score on their next drive to go up 21-0. Later in the game, Stafford fumbled the ball and lost it to Atlanta but was quickly overturned due to an
offsides call on the defense. This didn’t matter much as two plays later, Stafford threw his third interception of the game, marking his first game with three interceptions since the opening week of the 2022 season. The rams ended up dropping the game to Atlanta 27-24.
Matthew Stafford’s three-interception game came at the worst time of the year, as the guy right behind him in the MVP race just completed a career game the day before. After Stafford’s second interception, majority of sports books had Drake Maye as the new betting favorite for the NFL MVP award at -290, with Stafford dropping to +230.
Going into the final week of regular season action, the Rams are hosting the Arizona Cardinals, and the Patriots are hosting the Miami Dolphins. Both teams have already clinched playoffs, but the Patriots are fighting for the one seed in the AFC, which gives them a first-round bye and home field advantage through the playoffs. This will give Maye more fuel to try and repeat what he did to the Jets last week.
Going into the final week, the marquee stat lines for both quarterbacks are the following.
Matthew Stafford has led his team to an 11-5 record, 4,448 passing yards (2nd), 42 touchdowns (1st & career high), 8 interceptions and a 65% completion percentage. Drake Maye has led his team to a 13-3 record, 4,203 passing yards (4th), 30 passing touchdowns (T-3rd), 8 interceptions and a 71% completion percentage (1st) while also putting his team in the position to clinch the number 1 seed in the playoffs this week.
One thing has become very clear: The MVP won’t just be handed to the best player of the year; it will come down to the one that captures the moment at the right time and when it matters most. Right now, all signs point to Drake Maye.
