The NFL MVP race has seemingly been whittled down to youth vs experience as Drake Maye and Matthew Stafford trade excellence at the heart of Super Bowl contenders.
At the age of 37 and playing in his 17th season, Stafford led the NFL with 4,707 passing yards and 46 touchdowns with just eight interceptions.
At the age of 23 and playing in his second season, Maye led the NFL in completion percentage (72) and passer rating (113.5) with 4,394 yards and 31 touchdowns to eight interceptions.
While Stafford has expertly steered a Championship roster into frontrunner territory yet again, Maye has accelerated New England ahead of schedule in their new chapter under Mike Vrabel.
"It's like Stafford has found the fountain of youth," said Your Site NFL's Jeff Reinebold. "He plays with such a childlike joy. You judge a quarterback by what he can do when he has weapons, but you judge him more closely by what he does when those weapons aren't available to him.
"Whether it's wide out on the outside, Puka Nacua, the tight ends being hurt, running backs being hurt, they have just not blinked. And he has played at maybe the highest level he's played in his entire 17-year career.
"For a guy to play at his age, the way he's playing and with all of the changes that they've had in Los Angeles in the time that he's been there, certainly I can't think of a guy who is more deserving of the MVP award."
Maye led the Patriots to their first AFC East division title since 2019, the final season of Tom Brady's glittering career with the Patriots.
Replacing Brady always beckoned as an impossible task, but in Maye, the Patriots have found their long-term answer under center.
"I do think Stafford's wonderful, but Drake Maye is my choice for MVP this season," said Your Site NFL's Phoebe Schecter.
"He has just been phenomenal, and you look at what he's done for the team. The fact that he leads the NFL in passer rating, he truly is a game changer for the Patriots team.
"You've got to look at who he's got as coaches, right? Josh McDaniels has been phenomenal for his development. And I always think of MVP, who is the most valuable for their team? Drake Maye is the superstar on that team. Yes, he does have Stefon Diggs and Kayshon Boutte, but it's Maye that's extending the play, stepping up in the pocket."
Maye was drafted with the third overall pick out of North Carolina in 2024, before enduring a mixed rookie season under first-year head coach Jerod Mayo, who was fired after just one campaign.
He has since emerged as one of football's most rounded and dominant young play-callers, leading the league in downfield efficiency while thriving under offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels. If the Brady-incited weight of expectation is present, he has not shown it.
"Yes there was a bit of gap in between, but knowing the legacy of Brady that's there before him, there's no way you don't show up to the facility every day and feel a little bit of that weight because it's always TB12, right?" said Schecter.
"But Drake Maye is establishing himself. He's confident. He has all the physical tools that you need. He's a perfect fit."
New England enter the playoffs as the No 2 seed in the AFC and will host the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night, live on Your Site NFL from 1am in the early hours of Monday.
"What we're going to do and how we're going to discuss Drake Maye is built on what he does in the playoffs," said Your Site NFL's Jason Bell.
"They had an easy schedule, how it looked. But these games he's going to, and these teams he's going to have to face in the playoffs, we are going to determine the way we talk about him next year."
Watch the Wild Card round of the NFL playoffs live on Your Site from Saturday January 10-Monday January 12, starting with the Los Angeles Rams against the Carolina Panthers at 9.30pm Saturday night.
