With the regular season wrapping up, now regular season stats come pouring in. Both Maye's and Stafford's stats prove that this is going to be a tough decision when it comes to naming the MVP.
Drake Maye or Matthew Stafford: Who has the edge?
The two quarterbacks who play on opposite sides of the country may be dueling against some of the best defenses in the league over the next few weeks, and in doing so, they'll be adding to their case for league MVP come Super Bowl weekend.
No matter which QB you believe is most deserving of this major award, the final game of the regular season highlighted key arguments about each player's value to their team.
For starters, a former three-time DPOY winner, JJ Watt (now a color commentator at CBS), gave his take on just how much value either guy brings to their team.
"My thing is valuable. If you took that guy off their team, which team would drop further? And for me right now, if you took Drake Maye off the Patriots, they're dropping further down right now," Watt said during a live hit during the NFL on CBS pregame show on Sunday.
Watt would follow up by complimenting how great Matthew Stafford is, but if he were not on the Rams. Sean McVay and that receiving core would figure it out somehow.
Another wild take on just how tight the race is came from ESPN NFL and College Football analyst Chase Daniel, who broke down the stats between Maye and Stafford.
The Rams quarterback has thrown for over 4,700 yds & 46 TDs with a 12-5 record, while Maye has over 4,800 total yards and 35 TDs with a 14-3 record.
Maye's total yards come from his passing and rushing (these are ballpark numbers; one must add them).
The fact that these two are separated by a mere one hundred-ish yards, as well as a lengthy amount of touchdown passes that are not far off from one another, is astonishing.
At the end of the day, Watt's comments highlight the question of value—who truly contributes the most to their team? The Patriots may have benefited from an easy schedule, but would they have achieved 14 wins without Maye?
Yes, Stafford has thrown nearly 50 touchdowns, but could the Rams have found a way into the postseason?
These may be what determine who gets the MVP trophy in a few weeks' time.