The Patriots are going into their 2025 season finale against the Dolphins riding high after demolishing the Jets and watching the Bills crumble, officially awarding them the AFC East crown once again.
It was a masterful showing by the entire team, but especially by Drake Maye, as it firmly put him back in the MVP conversation after one of the best quarterback performances in NFL history. Despite that, there was still a game to be played on Monday Night Football by the Rams and MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford, with most believing they'd beat the Falcons with ease.
That wasn't the case, as we saw, with Stafford throwing three interceptions, one of which was a pick-6 and another was called back, and ultimately losing the game to fall to an 11-5 record. The NFC West is now out of reach, too, making Stafford's night look even worse.
And based on how the odds are looking, Maye's moved up in the eyes of bettors and has a real chance to steal the MVP award from the 17-year veteran next week, as if his stats weren't considered good enough already.
Matthew Stafford's weak showing on MNF might have handed the MVP award to Drake Maye
Looking at Maye and Stafford's stats for the 2025 season, there is a lot to like about what the second-year quarterback has accomplished this year, which has only been further highlighted after the Rams fell to the Falcons on Monday Night.
Comparing their stats against common opponents makes Maye look even better, and it's getting to a point where it would be an injustice not to give the Patriots' quarterback the coveted award.
Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford vs. common opponents this season (CAR, NO, TEN, TB, BAL, ATL):
— Mike Kadlick (@mikekadlick) December 30, 2025
Maye:
6-0 record
117/170 (69%)
1,495 passing yards
13 TD
3 INT
259 rushing yards, 1 TD
Stafford:
4-2 record
129/182 (71%)
1,544 yards
14 TD
6 INT
-10 rushing yards, 0 TD pic.twitter.com/QqSqTbPGr2
Making his case even stronger is the fact that the Patriots have already secured the AFC East, and are expected to beat the Dolphins next Sunday to finish the year with a 14-3 record.
That's an impressive feat considering they're coming off back-to-back years with just four wins, and Maye was put into an entirely new system and offense in just his second season, but has accomplished more than some of the most seasoned veterans have or will.
Rewarding that with the MVP award would be another sign that the Patriots are back and have found their franchise quarterback and true successor to Tom Brady.
But at the same time, if Maye doesn't win it (since it looks like the NFL decided months ago the award was going to Stafford), the Patriots have bigger plans and goals for the rest of the season: the Super Bowl. That's more of a focus at this point, and fans have already decided Maye was the MVP anyway, whether officially or not.