The MVP race will likely come down to Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye following the conclusion of the 2025 regular season. Both had sensational seasons, but only one will take home the coveted award at the NFL honors later this winter.
Here’s a breakdown of where each player stands in certain important stats and categories, and who should ultimately take home the coveted award.
Wins and playoff seeding
The Patriots finished 14-3, won the AFC East and earned the No. 2 seed in the AFC playoffs. The Rams, meanwhile, finished 12-5, finished second in the NFC West and play as the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs.
While it may not seem important for an individual award, winning the division does matter historically. There have only been two MVP quarterbacks who failed to win their division the same year they won the award: The Indianapolis Colts’ Peyton Manning in 2008 and the Tennessee Titans’ Steve McNair in 2003. Both finished second.
Edge: Maye
Completion percentage
Maye led the NFL with a 72.0% completion rate this year. Stafford finished 17th at 65.0%.
Edge: Maye
Touchdowns
This isn’t just about passing touchdowns. Stafford finished with an NFL-best 46 passing touchdowns this season, while Maye only had 31 of his own. However, Maye rushed for four more touchdowns to bring his combined season total to 35.
Edge: Stafford
Yards
Stafford finished with an NFL-leading 4,707 passing yards this year. Maye finished fourth with 4,394 yards. However, Maye also rushed for 450 yards, which would bring his total yardage to 4,844. That beats Stafford, who only added one total rushing yard on the year.
Edge: Maye
Interceptions
Stafford and Maye both threw eight interceptions this season.
Edge: Neither
Stats vs. common opponents
ESPN’s Bill Barnwell made an interesting point in his awards piece regarding the Maye-Stafford MVP debate. Rather than compare the two against their own schedules, he looked at each quarterback against common opponents.
Barnwell noted that Maye had a 77.0 QBR against his schedule this season, while Stafford had a 57.7 QBR in six games against common opponents, which included losses to the Falcons and Panthers — two teams Maye beat. Maye’s completion rate, yards per attempt and expected points added per dropback were all better, too.
Edge: Maye
Narrative
Humans vote for MVP, not robots. And, at the end of the day, a good story can trump even the most obvious of statistical differences.
Stafford has the legacy card in this debate. His 46 touchdowns are a career-high, and his passing yards are the third-highest in his 17-year career and highest since 2021. Stafford would also tie for the third-oldest MVP in NFL history at 37 years old (only 40-year-old Tom Brady in 2017 and 38-year-old Aaron Rodgers in 2021 would be ahead).
Maye, meanwhile, is in his second season. He’ll have plenty more MVPs to chase.
Edge: Stafford
Verdict
If we’re going purely off this list of stats, Maye should be the MVP.
However, sometimes narrative plays a much bigger role when individual statistics are this close. Given Stafford’s age and legacy, it wouldn’t be a surprise to see voters give him the award right before he exits the NFL — either this year or down the line.
This article originally appeared on Rams Wire: Matthew Stafford vs. Drake Maye MVP race: Who has the edge?
Reporting by Tyler Greenawalt, Rams Wire / Rams Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
