Matthew Stafford vs. Drake Maye MVP race heats up as Ex-NFL star breaks down why the LA Rams QB’s experience gives him the edge

NFL MVP race conversations have shifted quickly, and Drake Maye now sits at the center of a debate that refuses to settle quietly. Numbers, wins, and timing have pushed the Patriots quarterback into the spotlight, even as Matthew Stafford’s rough night lingered in voters’ minds. Yet the race is far from decided, especially with one influential voice refusing to follow the crowd.Maye’s rise has felt steady and confident, driven by clean execution and control rather than flash. He has turned New England into a weekly problem for opponents, stacking wins and efficiency while keeping mistakes low. That balance has pulled attention away from Stafford’s brilliance, even though the Rams quarterback still owns some of the loudest numbers of the season. The contrast has created a debate that goes deeper than box scores.Dan Orlovsky believes context should carry real weight in the NFL MVP race, and he made that clear on “The Pat McAfee Show.” Drawing from his years as Stafford’s teammate, Orlovsky acknowledged Maye’s excellence while standing firm in his pick.“One, if I was voting today, I would vote for Stafford. I think Drake Maye’s season this year I really believe is up there with as good a second-year performance a quarterback has had in the NFL. I think it’s a lot on par with what Joe [Burrow] did a couple years ago when he took Cincy to the playoffs and to the Super Bowl,” Orlovsky said.He then challenged how fans and analysts treat statistics without examining the road taken to earn them.“This is what I would say: For everybody that continues to point stats to me, OK, and I understand stats, context, all that, you guys all wanna talk about stats. You can’t in one hand talk about the stats and in the other conversation, ‘Well, who he did it against doesn’t matter.’ Yes, it does.“How you acquire the stats and who you acquire those stats against has to be a part of the conversation, and it doesn’t mean we have to knock people for it, but it has to provide context in how those stats were acquired. If I went right now and played high school football, I would be ridiculous. Now, if I played in the NFL, I would be awful. So, who you do it against has to matter.”When Darius Butler pushed back, Orlovsky sharpened the point.“I understand it’s different leagues, but, OK, so, if you took a quarterback and you played him against Seattle’s defense on a consistent basis and then you took a quarterback and played him against the Jets defense on a consistent basis, one quarterback is gonna have better stats because of that defense he’s playing against.“Or, if you took the same quarterback, had him play against Seattle, had him play against the Jets 10 times in a row, you’re gonna perform better against the Jets than you did against Seattle.”With one week left, Maye owns momentum and favorable odds. Stafford owns Orlovsky’s vote and a tougher résumé. That tension is exactly what keeps this MVP race alive.Also Read: What happens next for Stefon Diggs? NFL rules on paid leave explained amid Patriots star’s legal trouble