With just two weeks left in the NFL season, we are nearing the announcement of who will be crowned the MVP for the 2025 season. The current frontrunner and odds-on favorite continues to be Rams' QB Matthew Stafford, but Drake Maye is not far behind. It will likely come down to how they fare during the next two games, so the Patriots quarterback has a chance that not many have done before him and win the illustrious prize in just his second season.
The conversation surrounding the two quarterbacks, however, suggests there's almost no shot of Stafford losing to Maye, despite how stacked the Rams' offense is and how well Maye is playing with far less talent.
But what if there was a scenario where a tie could occur? It has happened before in the NFL, as Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report discusses, and maybe it would be a good idea for this season too, even if it ultimately upsets Rams and Stafford fans.
Although it's unlikely, a tie for the MVP award would be a great thing to see in 2025
While discussing just how close the MVP race is between Maye and Stafford, Knox mentions the possibility of the voting ending in a tie.
The last time that happened was in 2003, when Peyton Manning and Steve McNair were both named MVP, and it was just six years earlier that Brett Favre and Barry Sanders also tied for the coveted moniker.
Given how close Maye and Stafford are in the eyes of fans and league insiders, it almost seems like an impossible decision for voters to make, which is why Knox's idea of seeing the first tie in over 20 years is appealing. The problem, though, is that the way an MVP is voted for is much different from the way it was in 2003, so the chance of a tie inevitably happening is nearly zero.
"Now, it's worth noting those ties happened under the Associated Press' old voting system, in which 50 awards voters each cast a singular vote for MVP. The AP changed to a ranked voting system in 2022, making a tie even less likely.
Under the new system, voters may list up to five MVP candidates, with results determined by a point system. Under the current format, points are awarded for votes as follows:
First Place: 10 Points
Second Place: 5 Points
Third Place: 3 Points
Fourth Place 2 Points
Fifth Place: 1 Point"
Based on the new system, it's hard to imagine a situation where Maye and Stafford would tie, so it's fair to assume that the 17-year veteran will win MVP, while fans of Maye and the Patriots will just need to be excited about his future and how close he was to winning the award in his second year.
Knox advocates a tie, though, and it's hard to disagree, given how both quarterbacks have been playing. But there's somewhat of a 'feel good story' about Stafford finally winning in his 17th season, which feels almost guaranteed to be the kind of thing the NFL would want to highlight, rather than dealing with the rise of the Patriots again and recognizing Maye in the midst of it.
While that's certainly something for us to look forward to, it's not necessarily fair to pick and choose when the winner of MVP actually fits the criteria, because if that were the case, it's Maye's award all day.
Regardless, the Patriots have a franchise quarterback under center and will be a problem in the league for years to come. And maybe, he will win Super Bowl MVP instead.