There are just seven weeks to go in the 2025 NFL season, and the playoff race is heating up. Much of the focus is on the races one each division and in each conference as teams gear up to make a run at a Super Bowl.
However, there is sure to be plenty of drama on the individual award front as well. Many of the postseason award races are shaping up to be very tight and will all be decided down the stretch.
Jonathan Taylor and Jaxon Smith-Njigba are staging an epic race for Offensive Player of the Year. You could make a case for a number of Coach of the Year candidates, something that is becoming a bit of a trend in recent years. At least Myles Garrett is making things easy on Defensive Player of the year voters.
None of the races maybe as hard to call as the MVP race is at the moment. Drake Maye, Matthew Stafford, Taylor and Josh Allen are all having stellar seasons, but how do they stack up heading into Week 12?
Honorable mention: Browns EDGE Myles Garrett, Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, Seahawks QB Sam Darnold, Buccaneers QB Baker Mayfield
5. Chargers QB Justin Herbert
Okay, hear me out. Nothing about the counting stats on the season will tell you that Herbert belongs on this list, but if we're talking about value? Herbert might deserve to be even higher. The MVP race is a four-horse race at the moment, leaving a lot up for debate with the fifth spot. Herbert gets the nod here.
Of course, stats are still part of the award, so the Chargers signal caller lands at No. 5 here. He has played most of the season without both of his star tackles and has paid the price for it, facing pressure on 42.7% of his dropbacks. Only Justin Fields has been pressured more often, and he just got benched.
Herbert does just about everything for this offense. He gets the ball out on time in muddy pockets with pressure bearing down on him and his scrambling is a massive asset to a running game that is missing both Najee Harris and Omarion Hampton. Replace Herbert with a quarterback who is even average, and this 7-4 Chargers team may be looking at a 4-7 mark or something similar.
4. Colts RB Jonathan Taylor
Taylor would have been third on this list before Week 11, but that's what happens when you have the week off and the guy behind you scores six touchdowns. Still, the Colts running back has been the engine for this offense all season long and is right in the middle of this discussion.
Taylor's numbers this season are mind-boggling, both in terms of the counting stats and the advanced efficiency numbers. The star running back has run for 1,139 yards this season, the only back that has eclipsed 1,000 yards so far. His six yards per carry also lead the league by a mile, a full half-yard better than De'Von Achane in second place (minimum 100 carries). Taylor has 15 rushing touchdowns on the season as well, four ahead of Josh Jacobs in second place.
On a per-carry basis, few players in NFL history have been better than Taylor. He is currently sitting at plus-0.16 EPA per rush, which leads the league by a country mile among players with at least 100 carries. Second place is all the way down at plus-0.04 with James Cook.
In fact, only two teams in the NFL are averaging a better EPA per pass play than Taylor is doing on his runs. That would be the Packers and the Patriots, with the Rams tied at that 0.16 number. What Taylor is doing is truly extraordinary, and he is the biggest reason for the Colts' breakout this season. That has him in the thick of this race despite the gap in positional value against the quarterbacks.
3. Bills QB Josh Allen
Things have been a bit more up-and-down this season for Josh Allen than usual, but he looks like he is starting to round into form heading into the home stretch. On Sunday, Allen dominated a marquee game against the Buccaneers in a 44-32 win where he scored six touchdowns. When Todd Bowles inexplicably gave him the chance to put the Bucs away, he did just that.
Even in what has been a somewhat inconsistent season for him, Allen is still right up there with the best. He has thrown for 18 touchdowns to seven interceptions in 10 games and is in a tie for second in EPA per dropback at plus-0.20. He is currently leading a Bills offense that ranks second in total offense and fourth in scoring offense despite having no go-to receiver on the outside.
We also mentioned above that Taylor has 15 touchdowns on the ground and Jacobs is second with 11. Who is third, you might ask? That would be Allen, who has 10 to give him 28 total touchdowns on the season. If he can build on Sunday's masterpiece during the final seven games, he has a chance to go back-to-back.
2. Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Matthew Stafford is leading arguably the best team in the NFL at the moment and is playing some of the best football of his career. For the season, Stafford has tossed 27 touchdowns to just two interceptions while ranking in the top five in EPA per play. For all of the stellar seasons he has had in the past, this is the best version of him to date.
There's a real chance that the Rams don't lose another game all season. For our money, they are the best team in the NFL, and that could mean a 15-2 finish. If that happens, Stafford will very likely end up winning the award.
Stafford became the favorite to win the award coming out of Week 11 after the Rams beat the Seahawks in a very high-profile game. However, Stafford didn't have his best game against an elite Seattle defense, but he will get another chance against his NFC West rivals in Week 16.
1. Patriots QB Drake Maye
Even the biggest Drake Maye defenders couldn't have seen this coming. In just his second season, the former No. 3 overall pick is leading one of the best teams in the AFC in Mike Vrabel's first season as head coach.
In one year, the Pats have gone from one of the worst teams in the NFL to one of the best, and Maye's growth is the biggest reason for it. Around him, the offensive line has been upgraded, but is still no better than an average unit. The defense is solid, and the pass-catching group still leaves plenty to be desired even after the addition of Stefon Diggs.
As a passer, Maye has already grown into one of the best in the world. He leads the NFL in completion percentage (71.9%) and EPA per dropback (plus-0.21). He is far from a checkdown Charlie, completing 22-of-40 passes beyond 20 yards with six touchdowns and zero interceptions on those throws according to PFF. His arm and willingness to push the ball downfield, all while protecting the pill, have made this an explosive passing game in New England.
Maye is doing all of this as a passer despite facing pressure on more than 40% of his dropbacks, a top five mark in the NFL. He still takes too many sacks, but the juice is more than worth the squeeze with what he is getting downfield.
As a scrambler, Maye has also been one of the best in the league. He has scrambled more often than anybody in football this season according to PFF and is second in yards on those plays, behind Justin Herbert. His ability to lift both the floor and the ceiling of this offense despite an ecosystem that leaves a little to be desired has him in the top spot with seven weeks left.
