It’s been quite a six months for Matthew Stafford.
From contemplating retirement to now one of the top candidates for the MVP award, Stafford’s 2025 season has the potential to become a Disney movie — if things break the right way.
Not only is he in a two-man battle with Patriots quarterback Drake Maye for MVP, Stafford is going for his second Super Bowl ring as the Rams begin the postseason Saturday against the Carolina Panthers.
But before any of this was possible, it was unclear if Stafford would even play this season.
The 37-year-old signal-caller missed the majority of training camp after aggravating a disk in his back during the offseason. The injury followed his serious spinal contusion in 2022 that ended his season — although it’s unclear if they were linked to one another.
“Backs are sometimes interesting things,” Stafford said via ESPN on Aug. 21. “It’s not cut and dry what’s what and how you’re going to feel, so I really appreciate our team and our head coach and everybody taking a day-to-day approach with me doing everything they can to try and help me out.
“And I have obviously a huge feeling of responsibility to our team to do what’s right by them and I’m trying to do that as best I can day in and day out.”
Fast forward to now and an argument can be made that 2025, his 17th season in the league, was his best.
His 46 touchdown passes and 109.2 passer rating were career-highs while his eight interceptions tied his career low, when he played two-thirds of a season. He also posted a 71.0 QBR (quarterback rating), 7.9 yards per attempt and 4,707 passing yards, numbers that rank in the top three throughout his career.
He led the Rams to a 12-5 record and the No. 5 seed in the NFC playoffs, but is all of that enough to give him his first MVP award?
The debate is just getting started.
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Still a month away from declaring a winner, the debate will be as hotly contested a topic there is in the league over the next few weeks. Analysts and pundits everywhere are going to have their say, trading barbs and half-witted retorts that ultimately boil down to nothing except fodder for opposing fanbases.
On one end, you have Stafford. Already a near-lock for the Hall of Fame, there’s only one thing missing from his illustrious career: MVP.
On the other end, you have Maye. The upstart youngster, Maye took the Patriots from last in the AFC East to first in one season while unseating the Buffalo Bills reign in the division.
So who wins?
That all comes down to a matter of opinion and preference.
Do you prefer the quarterback who played a tougher schedule compared to one who played the easiest in the NFL? Do you value touchdowns and yards over efficiency and quality of play? How much does supporting cast come into play? Is there any sentimentality when it comes to getting a guy his first award in possibly his last opportunity?
That’s the dilemma all voters are facing.
The debate will rage on over the next month before the winner is announced on February 5 and the NFL Honors ceremony in San Francisco — three days before Super Bowl LX.
