Other than the Los Angeles Rams‘ quest for a second Super Bowl in Sean McVay’s tenure, the question on everyone’s mind is whether or not quarterback Matthew Stafford will win his first MVP award in his 17-year career.
He certainly has the stats with an NFL-leading 4,179 passing yards and 40 touchdowns with just five interceptions. Stafford, 37, is also leading the NFL’s No. 1 offense and a Rams team that sits at 11-4 and could finish the regular season with a second-consecutive NFC West title and the conference’s top seed in the playoffs.
Stafford isn’t along in the MVP race, though. New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen are also contending for the award in the final two weeks of the season.
NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero polled executives from 30 NFL teams, including 21 general managers, to get a sense of who they think will win MVP. Stafford earned an overwhelming 18 votes, well ahead of Maye’s five and Allen’s four.
Part of the argument against Stafford is his stellar supporting cast, the fact that the Rams might not win the NFC West and the idea that voters might want an aging veteran to win his first MVP. But, even still, Stafford’s on-field production is enough to put him at the top of the minds of a lot of high-ranking NFL executives.
There are still two games left to decide MVP. A lot can change between now and then.