With the Bills beating the Chiefs on Sunday, Buffalo quarterback Josh Allen is once again the MVP favorite. But a pair of intriguing names are lurking.
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye and Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford.
Allen is the +180 favorite. Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, recently the favorite, is now +350. Maye, who now has eight straight games with 200 or more passing yards and a passer rating of 100 or higher, is at +425. Stafford, who has thrown nine touchdown passes in the last two games (a Rams record), is +550.
The next closest candidate is Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, at +1600.
There’s a long way to go, but not that long. Nine weeks of the regular season have been played, nine remain.
Maye’s 200/100 streak has only been accomplished by three other players in NFL history. Each (Tom Brady, Peyton Manning, and Aaron Rodgers, twice) won MVP in the season when they did it.
Stafford has never gotten serious MVP consideration during a Hall of Fame career. And for good reason. While he toiled in relative anonymity with the Lions, Manning and Brady and Rodgers were claiming the trophy. More recently, it’s been Mahomes and Lamar Jackson and, last year, Allen.
For now, the presence of Maye and Stafford on the short list is a surprise. By the time the ballots are cast, maybe it won’t be.
