Going into Week 13, Matthew Stafford had been nearly flawless. The Los Angeles Rams quarterback hadn’t thrown an interception since Week 3 and had stacked up 27 consecutive touchdown passes without a pick. Against the Carolina Panthers, he pushed that streak to 28, breaking the NFL’s all-time record previously held by Tom Brady. But after that milestone, things unraveled quickly.

Stafford threw two interceptions and lost a fumble in the narrow loss to Carolina, marking one of his messiest outings of the 2025 season. He credited the Panthers for jumping his first interception and admitted responsibility for his second pick and the costly fumble. For the season, Stafford now has four interceptions and five fumbles, though he has only lost two of those fumbles.

“We’re not going to win many games when I turn it over three times,” Stafford said afterward. “That’s not something I expect to repeat. I just need to trust my fundamentals and get back to playing at the level I know I can. Today wasn’t it.”

Before Sunday’s setback, the 17-year veteran had been performing like a legitimate MVP candidate. So the question now becomes: did one off-day damage his MVP campaign?

Are Matthew Stafford’s MVP Odds Slipping?

Despite the turnovers, the Rams hung in the game and lost by just three points—consistent with every loss this year, all decided by one score. Stafford still finished with 243 passing yards and two touchdowns in the defeat.

Following the game, CBS Sports analyst Tyler Sullivan argued that declaring Stafford’s MVP hopes dead would be an overreaction.

Sullivan noted that Stafford entered Week 13 as the league’s MVP betting favorite due to his historic touchdown streak. Though the streak ended with the first-quarter interception, Sullivan stressed that one bad game shouldn’t erase the quarterback’s body of work.

He did acknowledge that the performance might temporarily hurt Stafford’s odds, but added that upcoming matchups—such as games against the Lions in Week 15 and Seahawks in Week 16—provide opportunities to rebuild momentum.

In the 10 games leading up to Week 13, Stafford had thrown 30 touchdowns and amassed 2,830 passing yards, making Sunday’s showing an exception rather than the norm. With five weeks still left in the season, he has time to rebound and re-establish himself at the top of the MVP conversation.

Competition for the 2025 MVP Race

Stafford’s late-career renaissance has drawn comparisons to quarterbacks like Tom Brady, who found new levels of success well into their later years. Still, Stafford isn’t the only player in the running.

Patriots quarterback Drake Maye has surged in his second NFL season, helping transform New England into a contender. With top-five marks in passing yards and touchdowns—and the possibility of securing the AFC’s No. 1 seed—Maye’s case for MVP is growing stronger by the week.

Josh Allen is also firmly in the race as he continues another standout season for the Buffalo Bills. The star quarterback could realistically capture back-to-back MVP awards if he maintains his pace.

With five games remaining, Stafford still has every chance to finish strong and solidify his claim for the league’s most prestigious individual honor—and possibly cap his career with one of its defining achievements.