Matthew Stafford is not going to win NFL MVP this season despite putting up impressive numbers and entering Week 17 with the 10th-best odds of any player in the league. At +15000 (BetMGM), he’s a long shot to take home the award, but there are many who believe he’s deserving of at least being in the conversation.
Count Giants defensive coordinator Wink Martindale among them.
On Thursday, Martindale heaped praise on Stafford ahead of Sunday’s matchup, saying he’s playing at a “Hall of Fame level” and deserves to be in the race for MVP, along with the favorite, Lamar Jackson.
Wink Martindale with high praise for #Rams’ QB: “Matt Stafford is playing at a Hall of Fame level.”
Says he & Lamar Jackson (#Ravens) should be the ones up for the league’s MVP award pic.twitter.com/W17ZDS0uSJ
— Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) December 28, 2023
Stafford has 23 touchdown passes and nine interceptions, and in his last five games alone, he has 14 touchdowns and just one interception. The Rams have turned things around after a 3-6 start and currently hold the No. 6 seed in the NFC, but an 8-7 record through 15 games isn’t good enough to warrant MVP consideration.
That being said, Stafford’s value to the Rams is just as high as any other player in the league. Without him, they’re probably a bottom-10 team in the NFL – something that was clear in their 20-3 loss to the Packers in Week 9. But with Stafford healthy, the Rams are on the cusp of making an unlikely postseason run.
