Matthew Stafford already had a Hall of Fame resume entering this season but now seems destined to add a missing piece — an MVP trophy. Despite his individual records (and a Super Bowl ring), Stafford has finished in the top 10 of MVP voting only once, and that was two years ago, as Mike Sando noted in his video last week.
But two important things happened last week to turn the tide in Stafford’s favor, maybe for good. First and foremost, Stafford was excellent against the same Lions team with whom he spent the first 12 years of his career after being the No. 1 overall pick in the 2009 NFL Draft. The 37-year-old went 24-for-38 with a season-high 368 passing yards and two touchdowns with an interception to pace the Rams’ 41-34 victory.
The second factor took place across the country in Foxboro, Mass., where fellow MVP challenger Drake Maye wilted after a strong start as the Patriots blew a 21-0 lead in a 35-31 loss against the Bills and reigning MVP Josh Allen.
On the season, Stafford has a 66.4-percent completion rate, 3,722 passing yards, a league-leading 37 touchdown throws and only five interceptions. Plus, he has his Rams on the inside track, for now, to the No. 1 seed in the NFC. If he keeps that up, he should be collecting some hardware in February regardless of how deep the Rams advance in the playoffs.
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