NFL MVP tracker: Stafford, Allen, Maye hold high ground while Mahomes and Darnold slide

Week 11 of the 2025 NFL season sent another jolt through the awards race, with a handful of stars delivering the kind of performances that can flip the whole narrative.

With the Indianapolis Colts and Jonathan Taylor on a bye, several of the top quarterbacks had an opportunity to put some distance between themselves and the dynamic tailback in the MVP chase.

Meanwhile, Tetairoa McMillan shook up the Offensive Rookie of the Year race, while Myles Garrett - already the clear frontrunner for Defensive Player of the Year honours - put together another outing that rattled the rest of the field.

Here, I break down how each of them fared before ranking my top five contenders for MVP, OPOY, DPOY, rookie awards, and the rest of the NFL’s most prestigious individual prizes.

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Most Valuable Player (MVP)

1. Matthew Stafford, QB - Los Angeles Rams
2. Drake Maye, QB - New England Patriots
3. Jonathan Taylor, RB - Indianapolis Colts
4. Josh Allen, QB - Buffalo Bills
5. Jared Goff, QB - Detroit Lions

The fact that it felt underwhelming to watch Stafford throw for only two touchdowns in the Rams' win over the Seahawks speaks volumes about the ridiculously high bar he has set with his performances this year.

The 37-year-old is still at least six touchdowns clear of the chasing pack, and some of them have yet to take their bye weeks.

Maye threw with deadly precision to lift the Patriots over the Jets, helping New England to their eighth consecutive win.

Allen was picked off twice, but we can forgive those miscues considering he accounted for an incredible six touchdowns in the Bills' statement win over the Buccaneers.

The Eagles' defense humbled Goff, but he deserves the fifth spot over Mahomes, who has looked uncharacteristically human in recent weeks.

Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY)

1. Jonathan Taylor, RB - Indianapolis Colts
2. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR - Seattle Seahawks
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB - San Francisco 49ers
4. DeVon Achane, RB - Miami Dolphins
5. Puka Nacua, WR - Los Angeles Rams

Another week in the NFL, and yet another 100-yard performance from Smith-Njigba. It was his seventh in 10 games, and in two of the other three, he still topped 90. What a year for the young Seahawk.

Despite that Herculean effort, Taylor retains the top spot, and with a week's rest during the Colts' bye, he looks set to punish the floundering Chiefs this weekend.

McCaffrey is something else. Yes, he's only 13th among all tailbacks in rushing yardage, but he's also ninth among ALL players in receiving yards - more than 200 ahead of the closest running back.

Achane makes his first appearance in the top five after amassing an eye-popping 390 all-purpose yards in the last two games.

The Dolphins' dynamo failed to record the receiving touchdown he needed to tie former greats last week, but on his current pace, he'll almost certainly do so before the end of the year.

Nacua had a solid eight catches for 75 yards in the Rams' tight win over the Seahawks and is fourth among all wideouts in receiving yards despite missing a game.

Ja'Marr Chase and James Cook are within touching distance in the race.

Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY)

1. Myles Garrett, EDGE - Cleveland Browns
2. Micah Parsons, EDGE - Green Bay Packers
3. Will Anderson, EDGE - Houston Texans
4. Brian Burns, EDGE - New York Giants
5. Nik Bonitto, EDGE - Denver Broncos

Let's be honest, Garrett has probably got this wrapped up, barring a disaster. He had four sacks against the Ravens, taking his tally to 10 in the last three games and 15 on the season.

The 29-year-old needs eight sacks in the Browns' final seven games to surpass the record jointly held by Michael Strahan (2005) and T.J. Watt (2021). I wouldn't put it past him.

Parsons collected another 1.5 sacks to stay locked into second place, and Anderson delivered a sack and a forced fumble to lift himself into third.

The oddsmakers have consistently failed to give Burns the credit he deserves this year because so many of his 13 sacks have come in losing efforts. I'm bucking that trend here.

Bonitto just about holds off Aidan Hutchinson and Danielle Hunter, but there's barely anything separating the three.

Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY)

1. Emeka Egbuka, WR - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
2. Tetairoa McMillan, WR - Carolina Panthers
3. Jaxson Dart, QB - New York Giants
4. Tyler Warren, TE - Indianapolis Colts
5. Quinshon Judkins, RB - Cleveland Browns

Dart's injury has made what once looked like a foregone conclusion anything but, as the race has tightened in his absence.

McMillan had a stronger outing than Egbuka in Week 11, leapfrogging him in receiving yards after hauling in eight catches for 130 yards and two scores. However, Egbuka has played one fewer game and averages more yards and touchdowns per outing.

Warren was on a bye last weekend, and Judkins did little to close the gap after being held to 59 yards and fewer than four yards per carry for the fifth consecutive game.

Several oddsmakers have TreVeyon Henderson over Judkins already, and I will from next week if the Patriots' running back continues to perform as he has recently.

I've held off placing Henderson over Judkins this week because it's much easier to rack up numbers in the Patriots' dynamic offense than in the lacklustre Browns', but that may change if he continues to perform as he has.

Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY)

1. Carson Schwesinger, LB - Cleveland Browns
2. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE - Dallas Cowboys
3. Jalon Walker, EDGE - Atlanta Falcons
4. Nick Emmanwori, S - Seattle Seahawks
5. Malaki Starks, S - Baltimore Ravens

Schwesinger reigns supreme after producing 11 combined tackles, an interception, and a pass deflection in the Week 11 loss to Baltimore.

Cleveland's dreadful 2-8 record is the only black mark on an otherwise sensational rookie campaign.

The most likely player to catch him is Ezeiruaku, who, despite failing to record a sack in the Cowboys' win over the Raiders, still came away with five tackles and a safety.

Jalon Walker was quieter after erupting in Weeks 9 and 10, but a few big performances would put him right back in the mix.

Emmanwori is hot on Walker's heels and has a sizable advantage over the chasing pack, including Starks, who managed only two tackles against Cleveland after back-to-back interceptions in the two games prior.

Poor Jihaad Campbell of the Eagles would surely be in the conversation for the top two spots had his snap share not diminished so rapidly in the last month.

Coach of the Year

1. Mike Vrabel - New England Patriots
2. Shane Steichen - Indianapolis Colts
3. Mike Macdonald - Seattle Seahawks
4. Ben Johnson - Chicago Bears
5. Sean McVay - Los Angeles Rams

There's no change in the top five, but the odds of each player shifted slightly after Week 11.

Vrabel oversaw yet another Patriots win, extending his lead over Steichen, whose Colts were on a bye.

Macdonald watched his Seahawks drop their first game in five, but there's no shame in losing to the Rams.

Johnson is almost neck and neck with Macdonald after guiding his side to an impressive third straight win.

McVay kept his candidacy alive with the Rams' eighth victory of the season. The only reason he isn’t higher is that the coaches above him have done more with less.

Comeback Player of the Year

1. Christian McCaffrey, RB - San Francisco 49ers
2. Dak Prescott, QB - Dallas Cowboys
3. Aidan Hutchinson, EDGE - Detroit Lions
4. Daniel Jones, QB - New York Giants
5. Stefon Diggs, WR - New England Patriots

Prescott bounced back with a massive game against the Raiders on MNF, keeping the pressure on McCaffrey. If any award ends in a split decision, this feels like the one.

Hutchinson and Jones swap spots this week - partly due to Hutchinson’s steady contribution and partly due to Jones’ recent dip.

Diggs' production has been inconsistent, but none of the outsiders are more deserving at this point. Jacoby Brissett’s late-season ascent is something I'm keeping a close eye on.

Final thoughts

Late-season injuries and sudden changes in form can and have created havoc in these conversations in previous years, and they will likely do so again in 2025.

With seven games remaining, and so many of the award races still up in the air, make sure to check back next week to see where your favourite players rank.