Despite being 37 years of age, Matthew Stafford has quietly put together one of the more convincing cases for this year’s regular-season MVP award. Thanks to a 42-26 victory over the San Francisco 49ers, the 17-year veteran has now put his Los Angeles Rams firmly in the mix for the NFC’s number one seed with a 7-2 start to the year.
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Coming into Week 10, Stafford had been leading the league in passing touchdowns, first downs, and yards per game, and now, he’s improved those totals with four more passing scores and 280 passing yards.
The former Detroit Lion has broken a lot of records in his day, but his latest performance has given him yet another all-time record. Stafford is officially the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for 4+ passing touchdowns without an interception in three consecutive games.
According to Rob Gronkowski, the talent is undeniable, but it also helps when you have as talented of a receiving corps as Stafford does. “He’s taken his game to a whole other level now,” the former tight end suggested while speaking from behind the Fox Sports analyst’s desk.
“He’s utilizing so many of his weapons. He’s got Davante Adams, Puka Nacua, and then he’s used his three tight ends that he each threw a touchdown pass to today. When you’ve got so many different guys that you can throw to and you can spread the ball out, it’s going to keep the defense guessing and Stafford has done that all year long so far.”
Gronk wasn’t the only member of the panel who was loving what Stafford showed in Week 10 either. Former Super Bowl winner Terry Bradshaw suggested that he’s playing some rather “crazy football” right now, and that Stafford is displaying “total control of the offense at the line of scrimmage.”
After his past few performances against the New Orleans Saints and the Jacksonville Jaguars went underappreciated, Stafford seems to have finally begun commanding some respect from the bigwigs out in Las Vegas. Heading into Week 11, oddsmakers are now listing Stafford as the co-betting favorite, along with Drake Maye, to take home the MVP award.
It would be the first one of his career, but as they say, better late than never. He’s managed to collect a Super Bowl ring, passing records, and even a Comeback Player of the Year award, but an MVP trophy at the age of 37 would go a long way in ensuring that he’s a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
Although it’s worth remembering that there’s no guarantee of Stafford sticking around for much longer, so consider this a reminder to appreciate him while he’s still here, as you likely won’t see another quarterback like him anytime soon.
