It’s hard to argue against the impressive success that the New England Patriots have had this NFL season. The team, which sits at 13-3 heading into Week 18, already clinched the AFC East division and still has a shot at the AFC’s No. 1 seed in the playoffs.
A large portion of the team’s success is due to the efforts of their head coach, Mike Vrabel, who is contending for the Coach of the Year award. However, quarterback Drake Maye has also been outstanding and is among the top contenders for the NFL Most Valuable Player Award.
In the past several weeks, Maye had fallen from the top spot down, with Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford taking over as the favorite. As of this report, Stafford was playing in “Monday Night Football” against the Atlanta Falcons, and the first half didn’t look stellar for the former Super Bowl-winning QB.
At halftime, Stafford had thrown 9-of-17 completions for 96 yards. However, he was sacked for a loss of nine yards and also threw two interceptions to a ferocious Falcons’ defense. The Rams went into the second half trailing 21-0, with many of their key players participating with Stafford.
On the flipside, Maye handled a dismal New York Jets team on Sunday, with the Patriots crushing them 42-10. He threw for 256 yards and five touchdowns in the win, achieving a 99.8 QBR and an impressive passer rating of 157.0 for the game.
Due to Maye’s exceptional performance and Stafford’s issues in the Monday night game, the Patriots quarterback moved up to become the favorite in the MVP odds.
A tweet from Ari Meirov shows Maye receiving -240 odds at FanDuel Sportsbook as the MVP favorite, while Stafford is +195 as the second-favorite. A screenshot from DraftKings shows Maye as the -175 favorite, with Stafford at +145 odds.
This Sunday, New England is looking to win another matchup against an AFC East rival, the Miami Dolphins, to finish the regular season. They’ll host Miami in a game that the Patriots need to win to have a shot at the AFC’s No. 1 seed for the NFL Playoffs.
Throughout the season, both Maye and Stafford have put up impressive stats to put themselves among the league’s top quarterbacks. Stafford’s thrown for over 4,179 yards and 40 touchdowns with a rating of 112.1, while Maye has 4,203 yards with 30 touchdowns and a rating of 112.9.
Adding to the young QB’s skillset, Maye has also shown strong ability on the ground, racking up over 400 yards rushing and four touchdowns. The results speak for themselves, as he’s led the Patriots to their first division title since a guy named Tom Brady was the quarterback and Bill Belichick was coaching.
The Los Angeles Rams close their season with a home game on Jan. 4 against the Arizona Cardinals. Some believe that Stafford and the Rams are the strongest contenders to win the Super Bowl in February, but they’ll need Stafford to play his best if they want to do so.
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