The New England Patriots fanbase is trying everything they can to convince the NFL world that breakout second-year quarterback Drake Maye is the deserving MVP, especially after a torrid hot streak from Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford may have pushed him up to the top of the pile.
With Stafford coming into Week 13 with a 9-2 record, 30 touchdown passes, and just two interceptions, he needed to hit a speed bump for Maye to get back in the race. He appears to have made that slip-up by starting to turn it over.
Stafford started off Week 13 against the Carolina Panthers in the best way possible, throwing his 28th consecutive touchdown pass without an interception. However, that streak came to an end in a way that is sure to get the Maye for MVP crowd even more excited.
Stafford threw an interception on the very next drive, then tossed a tough pick-six just two passes later that put Carolina up 14-7 in the first quarter. The gap in interceptions that pushed Stafford over Maye in the eyes of many is slowly starting to get smaller.
Matthew Stafford's two INTs may boost Patriots QB Drake Maye in MVP race
Both the Rams and Patriots are likely going to be at or near the top of their respective conferences, so both of them have their total team success working in their favor. Every statistical edge might be enough to swing the debate one way or another.
Stafford will have the edge (in all likelihood) in touchdown passes, TD/INT ratio, and his pedigree. Maye is likely going to beat him out in passer rating, completion percentage, and yards per attempt, even if he is a bit more turnover prone than No. 9 is.
If the same guiding philosophy that helped Josh Allen win last year's MVP over Lamar Jackson despite a generally inferior statistical profile holds true once again, Maye might be able to get an extra boost by playing on a roster that just about everyone would agree is far inferior to what the Rams have.
Stafford has since rebounded with another touchdown pass to Adams that tied the game up at 14-14, but in a race that has such slim margins for error, those interceptions may start to tip the scale ever so slightly in Maye's and New England's favor if No. 10 can also keep tossing touchdowns of his own.