Sometimes things have a way of righting themselves, even in the NFL. In the case of who the 2025 MVP is, ESPN has finally recognized what Patriot Nation knew all along: that the
New England Patriots’ star quarterback, Drake Maye, is the NFL’s MVP.
For weeks, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford has been trumped up as the MVP, largely based on his 46 regular-season touchdowns with eight interceptions to Maye’s 31 and eight interceptions. It’s a valid statistic. Stafford is also 37, and Maye is only 23, so Stafford also got the sentimental vote.
Beyond that, Maye’s statistics and his real value to his team have clearly demonstrated that he is the 2025 MVP. In practical terms, there was never any doubt that Maye was, in fact, more “valuable” to the Patriots than Stafford was to the Rams.
And now, finally, many at ESPN have centered on some other real statistical factors that leave no doubt that Maye is the MVP
ESPN gets it right; Drake Maye is the NFL’s MVP for the 2025 season
It’s certainly a nice sentiment to give the MVP award to a veteran who will be 38 next season. It’s a great trait of human nature to hold such sentiments. Yet, in today’s professional sports, where stats both solid and contrived rule the roost, you have to take a close look to determine who’s really worthy of a lofty award like the MVP. It’s the league’s signature award, bar none.
ESPN has finally got the NFL’s MVP right. In an article comparing Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford, Maye gets the nod from eight of the 11 staff members who selected, and Maye’s statistics are at the heart of their decision.
“The numbers solidly back Maye for MVP. He led the league in QBR by a healthy margin, with his 77.1 well outpacing the next-best finisher — the Packers’ Jordan Love at 72.8 — and fourth-place Stafford at 71.1. The volume translation of QBR — points above average — tells a similar story, with Maye clearly alone at No. 1 and Stafford in third.
Those numbers also neutralize the biggest knock against Maye — the Patriots’ soft schedule — because QBR and its derivatives adjust for quality of opponent.
Maye’s accuracy was his best trait … He recorded a plus-9% completion percentage over expected, per NFL Next Gen Stats — the best single-season number by any quarterback in the metric’s history, dating to 2016.”
Outside of touchdowns, many of Maye’s statistics are clearly superior to Stafford’s. And there is little doubt that Maye achieved them while being sacked on most plays. ESPN also points out that Maye’s completion percentage was 72%, the best in the NFL. (It’s a full seven points better than Stafford’s.)
Sacks are a key to the NFL and Maye had to endure a bunch of them
One stat that bears close scrutiny is throwing under pressure, also known as duress. Maye is no stranger to that situation. He was sacked 47 times in 2025, while Stafford was only sacked 23 times. And while stat platforms may now be trying to gild the lily of the Patriots’ offensive line, the fact remains that 47 sacks is an inordinate number to allow.
Further fueling the sack argument is that in the three playoff games, Maye has been sacked 15 more times. While the playoffs may not even enter the discussion, the number of sacks allowed by the Patriots in the playoffs, as in the regular season, indicates a quarterback who still performs brilliantly under intense pressure.
Clean pockets are the exception rather than the rule.
ESPN, to its credit, does give Maye credit for his successful running ability. It’s another arrow in the young quarterback’s quiver that says that in 2025’s NFL, no quarterback, and no other player, was more valuable to his team than Drake Maye. We’ll see if the NFL cognoscenti feel the same on February 5.
