NFL MVP tracker: Maye rules supreme after uneven Stafford performance

The Thanksgiving schedule of the 2025 NFL season offered the usual helping of chaos and spectacle, as NFL stars left everything on the field with the postseason drawing closer.

Some players delivered their best work of the year, others stumbled, and the ripple effect reshaped every major awards race, from the MVP to OPOY, DPOY, and the rookie honours.

Below, I look at how the key contenders fared before revealing my top-five rankings in each category heading into Week 14.

Stream NFL Week 14 for 99p with DAZN’s Game Pass deal

For just 99p, DAZN’s latest Cyber Monday deal gives you NFL Game Pass for the entirety of Week 14 - one of the busiest, most exciting slates of the season.

The deal brings you all the action from a blockbuster week, including Sunday's game between the Steelers and Ravens, Packers vs Bears, and the Eagles vs Chargers on MNF.

In addition to every game, live or on demand, Game Pass also provides access to RedZone, NFL Network, and DAZN’s weekly original shows, including Downs 2 Business, Kittle Things, and the X’s & O’s coaching breakdown.

Click here for more details and to sign up.

Most Valuable Player (MVP)

1. Drake Maye, QB - New England Patriots
2. Matthew Stafford, QB - Los Angeles Rams
3. Jordan Love, QB - Green Bay Packers
4. Josh Allen, QB - Buffalo Bills
5. Jared Goff, QB - Detroit Lions

Barring a colossal upset, this has become a two-horse race between the best quarterbacks in 2025, Maye and Stafford, despite what Pro Bowl voting suggests so far.

Maye has been more accurate, boasts one more win, and has momentum on his side after another trademark-efficient performance that guided the Patriots to their 10th straight win over the Giants.

Stafford, despite his season-worst outing in the Week 14 upset loss to the Panthers, has a considerable advantage in passing numbers and has thrown a league-leading 32 touchdowns - seven more than his nearest rival and nine more than Maye.

In one of the more exciting battles to be crowned the league MVP, this could come down to the wire.

• Read next | Pro Bowl voting: Five early takeaways, shocks, and rookie standouts

The chasing group, which is some way off the pace, looks vastly different than previous weeks. Love's sensational Thanksgiving outing helps him into third

Allen has a slight lead over Caleb Williams, Jonathan Taylor, and Patrick Mahomes by virtue of the incredible feats he's achieved as a runner more than a passer, with 11 touchdowns on the ground.

Offensive Player of the Year (OPOY)

1. Jaxon Smith-Njigba, WR - Seattle Seahawks
2. Jonathan Taylor, RB - Indianapolis Colts
3. Christian McCaffrey, RB - San Francisco 49ers
4. James Cook, RB - Buffalo Bills
5. Jahmyr Gibbs, Detroit Lions

Smith-Njigba had his worst game of the season, and Taylor has slowed a little lately, but they retain a healthy lead in this category after such dominant performances between September and late-November.

Catching either of the top two will be almost impossible at this late stage, even for McCaffrey, who still leads the league in scrimmage yards after a lacklustre day vs the Browns.

Cook has been a consistent force all season and is fresh off steamrolling the Steelers to the tune of 144 rushing yards.

Jahmyr Gibbs, Bijan Robinson, Puka Nacua, De'Von Achane, and Ja'Marr Chase are all within striking distance of the bottom three.

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. Nik Bonitto, EDGE - Denver Broncos
5. Danielle Hunter, EDGE - Houston Texans

Nobody is catching Garrett. He passed his own franchise record a week ago, and after posting another sack last weekend - his 15th in the past six games - he needs only four more to break the single-season sack record of 22.5.

In any other season, Parsons would be in with a shout after adding to his tally with another 2.5 sacks against Detroit - bringing his total to 12.5 on the year.

Anderson trails some of his competitors on this list in sacks but leads most of them in sack yardage, tackles, and forced fumbles, and has added a defensive touchdown to his list of achievements.

Hunter forced his way into the conversation with a strong November, joining a group headed up by Bonitto, also featuring Brian Burns and Jared Verse.

Offensive Rookie of the Year (OROY)

1. Jaxson Dart, QB - New York Giants
2. Emeka Egbuka, WR - Tampa Bay Buccaneers
3. Tetairoa McMillan, WR - Carolina Panthers
4. Tyler Warren, TE - Indianapolis Colts
5. TreVeyon Henderson, RB - New England Patriots

Dart's strong performance on his return to the field in the Giants' loss to the Patriots, coupled with slow weeks for Egbuka and McMillan, has blown this race wide open.

Warren's touchdown saved him from what was otherwise a quieter outing, but he remains firmly in contention after performing at a high level most of the year.

Browns' fans may feel aggrieved that Henderson has replaced Judkins at five, but the reality is that the Patriots tailback is the better dual-threat, has more yards per carry, and will benefit from his team's far superior record when the votes are cast.

Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY)

1. Carson Schwesinger, LB - Cleveland Browns
2. Jalon Walker, EDGE - Atlanta Falcons
3. Donovan Ezeiruaku, EDGE - Dallas Cowboys
4. Abdul Carter, EDGE - New York Giants
5. Xavier Watts, S - Atlanta Falcons

Schwesinger remains the odds-on favourite after compiling double-digit tackles in his fourth straight game. It's hard to see anyone catching the Browns' youngster.

• Read next | Week 14 talking points: Bears, Packers vie for best record in NFC

Walker and Ezeiruaku stepped up with some impressive performances in November, but neither continued that streak into Week 14.

Carter's inclusion speaks volumes not only to the lack of depth in this race but also to the importance of draft capital and name-recognition value. Even after adding to his half sack from Week 1 on MNF, he only has 1.5 this season.

Starks pips Nick Emmanwori, Mason Graham, James Pearce, and Nic Scourton to round out the list, but in truth, none have a chance of chasing down Schwesinger.

Coach of the Year

1. Mike Vrabel - New England Patriots
2. Ben Johnson - Chicago Bears
3. Mike Macdonald - Seattle Seahawks
4. Dave Canales - Carolina Panthers
5. Shane Steichen - Indianapolis Colts

Vrabel and Johson both deserve major credit for what they've achieved this season. Barring any major slip-up by either team, I'd like to see this awarded jointly to both.

Macdonald's blemishes are few and far between, with his side's only losses coming against good teams. The Seahawks' shutout of the Vikings was extremely impressive.

Canales has done wonders with the Panthers. He may not have back-to-back wins since the middle of October, but he has guided Carolina to a 7-6 record after finishing 5-12 last year.

• Read next | Week 14 Power Rankings: Patriots, Bears surging; Eagles sliding

Steichen's Colts have lost three of their last four, but I disagree with the oddsmakers that the Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer should be ahead of him at this point. If anything, Liam Coen is more deserving.

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

It's hard to separate Prescott and McCaffrey, who have switched places several times in these rankings. It looks likely to come down to which of the two is stronger in the final stretch.

Hutchinson, Jones, and Diggs have all had their moments, but this award seems out of their reach at this point.

Final thoughts

Even at this late in the regular season, there is still plenty of football to be played, and we know how quickly injuries and momentum swings can swing the awards discussion.

So, with five games remaining and so much still undecided, make sure to check in next week to see how these races are shaping up.