Before the start of the 2025 NFL regular season, almost no one, not even their own fan base, seemed to believe in the Carolina Panthers. Oddsmakers had given them a win total of 6.5 for the season, and stadium attendance was light throughout the early parts of the season. And the city of Charlotte, North Carolina, hadn’t seen a playoff game in a decade.
Advertisement
Well, they somehow managed to defy all of the odds and claim their first NFC South title since 2015, and when Bryce Young was able to create a 31-27 lead with less than three minutes remaining in the contest, it looked as if dreams were finally beginning to come true in the Queen City, but then Matthew Stafford showed up.
The veteran quarterback for the Los Angeles Rams was able to complete an obscenely accurate pass to his tight end, Colby Parkinson, for the game-winning touchdown with just 43 seconds remaining on the clock, completely overshadowing the standout performance that Young had managed to put together.
According to one of Stafford’s former peers, Robert Griffin III, it may just be enough to secure his first regular-season MVP award.
MATTHEW STAFFORD THATS AN MVP THROW 🤯
— Robert Griffin III (@RGIII) January 11, 2026
As a result, the Rams are now the second-largest Super Bowl favorites at +400 odds, and as Griffin suggests, the gap in MVP odds between Stafford and Drake Maye continues to tighten as well. The 37-year-old now has 49 touchdown passes on the year, including playoffs, so barring an absolute catastrophe next weekend, this will be the second time that he has thrown for 50 or more touchdowns in a year since joining the Rams.
Of course, Stafford himself is more concerned with the bloopers than his own highlight reel. “Had some mistakes along the way,” he admitted to Fox Sports’ Pam Oliver.
“I turned it over, we had a punt blocked, didn’t score before the half when we probably should have. So there’s a lot to clean up, but we found a way to win it late. I believe in my teammates; I know they believe in me. We scored down there and my defense and said, ‘We got you,’ and they were right, so sweet.”
Stafford and Co. figure to be the consensus favorites moving forward, as even though the Seattle Seahawks are still sporting the best Super Bowl odds of any team in the postseason, the concerns that exist with Sam Darnold are simply not prevalent with Stafford. Simply put, this year’s championship is officially the Rams’ to lose, and Stafford knows that, hence why the Rams aren’t content with anything short of perfection right now.
