There’s a new MVP favorite in town. And his name is Drake Maye.
Monday night’s rough showing from prior favorite Matthew Stafford has flipped the two-man race. Maye, as of this posting, has odds of -400. Stafford stands at +300.
Stafford had three interceptions in Monday night’s 27-24 loss to the Falcons, including his sixth career pick six. That ties Brett Favre for the all-time record.
Throw in the fact that the Rams can’t win the NFC West, and Maye’s perceived chances have skyrocketed.
The bettors have made it a two-man race. Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence and Bears quarterback Caleb Williams are the next on the odds sheet, with both at +18000.
Of course, no one of the bettors have a ballot. The award will be decided by 50. Of which I’m one. And while I won’t make a decision until after Week 18, if the 49ers emerge with the No. 1 seed in the NFC, it’s not very difficult to make a case for running back Christian McCaffrey, who remains buried in the odds at +50000.
The Packers are reuniting with defensive lineman Jonathan Ford, whom the team claimed off waivers from the Bears on Monday.
Green Bay made Ford a seventh-round pick in 2022.
He was with the Packers in 2022 and 2023 and part of 2024 but did not appear in a regular-season game. The Bears claimed Ford off waivers from the Packers on Dec. 11, 2024, and he spent the rest of that season and all of this season in Chicago until Saturday when the Bears waived him.
Ford played 173 snaps on defense and 15 on special teams in 12 games with the Bears, including eight games in 2025. He totaled 13 tackles.
The Packers did not need a corresponding move since they placed linebacker Kristian Welch on injured reserve last week.
Green Bay was desperate for a defensive tackle to replace Jordon Riley, who tore his Achilles against the Ravens on Saturday. Riley was signed off the Giants’ practice squad earlier this month.
The Packers allowed 307 rushing yards against the Ravens.
It looks like Chicago has lost one of its defensive pieces for the rest of the year.
Per Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, linebacker Noah Sewell is believed to have stuffed a torn Achilles during Sunday’s loss to the 49ers.
He is set to undergo an MRI to confirm the diagnosis.
In his third season, Sewell had appeared in 13 games with nine starts for the Bears in 2025. He recorded 59 total tackles with three tackles for loss and a forced fumble.
Sewell is the younger brother of Lions All-Pro right tackle Penei Sewell.
Bears wide receiver Luther Burden had a big game in Sunday night’s loss to the 49ers, but the rookie ended the night with a quad injury.
Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that Burden will have tests done on the quad on Monday. The current feeling is that the injury is not a serious one, however.
Burden had eight catches for 138 yards and a touchdown before the injury. The Bears were playing without Rome Odunze and Olamide Zaccheaus while DJ Moore played despite an illness that led to him being downgraded to questionable on Sunday afternoon.
The Bears have already clinched the NFC North and they will be either the No. 2 or No. 3 seed in the conference, so there’s not much reason for the team to risk further injury by playing starters against the Lions next weekend. More information about their plans will likely come in the next few days.
Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy’s first pass of Sunday night’s game and returned it for a touchdown, but that was not a sign of things to come.
Purdy went 24-of-32 for 303 yards and three touchdowns while also running six times for 28 yards and two touchdowns over the rest of the evening. Purdy’s final touchdown pass went to wide receiver Jauan Jennings with 2:15 left to play and the 49ers held on for a 42-38 win when Caleb Williams failed to connect with wide receiver Jahdae Walker in the end zone while under pressure on the final snap of the game.
Josh Dubow of the Associated Press pointed out after the game that teams were previously 96-0 when they scored 35 or more points, had a defensive touchdown, did not turn the ball over and did not allow a sack. Bears head coach Ben Johnson pointed to the performance against Purdy as the reason they broke that streak.
“He’s a dangerous player, particularly when he can see down the field and have that much time,” Johnson said, via the team’s website. “And then he extended some of those plays with his legs too. He did a real nice job, and we certainly didn’t affect him enough.”
The Bears and 49ers may see each other again in the postseason and the Bears will have to find a better answer for Purdy if they’re going to finish with a better result.
