Just four weeks remain in the NFL regular season, and the MVP race has started to look more and more like a two-horse race as the year has gone on. Matthew Stafford and Drake Maye have been leading two of the best teams in the NFL while playing some great football, but Josh Allen and Jordan Love had big weeks in Week 14 to stay in the race.
Elsewhere, Jaxon Smith-Njigba got in the end zone twice while Myles Garrett hit the 20-sack milestone. Dak Prescott and the Cowboys couldn't keep their winning streak going on Thursday Night Football and Jonathan Taylor's slide continued as the Colts' season appears to be in peril.
Here's how the MVP leaderboard is stacking up with just a month to go in the season.
Honorable Mention: Browns DE Myles Garrett, Colts RB Jonathan Taylor, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott
5. Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Smith-Njigba has cooled off just a bit after his incredible first half of the season, but he still leads the NFL in receiving by a mile for one of the most efficient and explosive passing games around. He has fallen off of 2,000-yard pace just slightly, which probably takes him out of consideration to actually win the award.
Still, the Ohio State product had 92 yards and two touchdowns in a 37-9 win over the Falcons on Sunday and is on pace to go over 1,800 yards, with a chance to threaten the single-season receiving record if his pace picks back up; he needs 134 yards per game over the final four weeks to get there. We don't see receivers built like Smith-Njigba as the focal point of passing games that often, which lands him on this list as a distant No. 5.
4. Packers QB Jordan Love
It's been a bit of an inconsistent season for both Jordan Love and the Packers as a whole, but the star quarterback is starting to find his best stuff as the regular season winds down. Love tossed three touchdowns on Sunday in a big win over the Chicago Bears to take control of first place in the NFC North and has Green Bay playing like a Super Bowl contender.
Love's season-long numbers are quietly excellent: he's tied for fifth in the NFL with 22 passing touchdowns to just four interceptions, and he is tied for the league lead in EPA per drop back at plus-0.22. He is well off the pace of the top two for this award at the moment, but a marquee road game against one of the best defenses in the NFL, the Denver Broncos, presents a big stage for him to make a statement on Sunday.
3. Bills QB Josh Allen
Josh Allen has also been a bit up-and-down this season, but he proved in Week 14 that he is still unstoppable when the snow starts to fall in Buffalo. Allen scored four total touchdowns, three through the air and one on the ground, in a dramatic 39-34 win over the Cincinnati Bengals to get the Bills to 9-4 on the season.
Now, Allen has a chance to get right back to the top of the race in Week 15. Drake Maye had an MVP moment in prime time back in Week 5 when he went into Buffalo and led the Patriots to a win in the fourth quarter. Now, Allen gets his chance to make a similar statement on Sunday in Foxborough as Buffalo tries to get back into the AFC East race.
2. Patriots QB Drake Maye
Maye was off in Week 14, so he naturally fell into second thanks to Stafford's big day. However, Maye's masterpiece on Monday Night Football against the Giants in Week 13 did not go unnoticed and has him in a coin-flip race at the moment with the Los Angeles veteran.
Just like Sunday is a big chance for Allen, it is also one for the second-year pro from North Carolina. Sweeping the Bills, who have owned the AFC East since Allen ascended to stardom, and cementing New England's place both at the top off that division and the top of the AFC, would be a major feather in his cap. All eyes will be glued to that one on Sunday morning to see how Maye responds.
1. Rams QB Matthew Stafford
Stafford and the Rams rebounded from a frustrating loss to the Carolina Panthers with a fury against the Cardinals on Sunday, blowing out their division rivals 45-10 in a game that was never close. Stafford had a big day, throwing for 281 yards and three touchdowns to further solidify his spot at the top of the MVP race.
Stafford has another big stage to perform on Sunday against the Detroit Lions, who have been gettable in the passing game before bouncing back nicely against the Cowboys on Thursday night. The Rams should have natural answers against Detroit, and a win in that game could increase his lead even more.
