Did Matthew Stafford's late-game turnovers vs. Panthers cost him MVP award this season? originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
The Los Angeles Rams suffered the surprise loss of the weekend in Week 14, losing on the road to the very bi-polar and unpredictable Carolina Panthers 31-28. Matthew Stafford turned the ball over three times, and Carolina took advantage of the giveaways to get their signature win of the season, and make things very interesting in the NFC South.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt was easily the worst performance of the year for Matthew Stafford, who had been as close to perfect as a quarterback could be through 11 games, entering the week with 30 touchdowns to just two interceptions and the easy pick for MVP.
With the rough performance, though, has he played himself out of the lead for the Most Valuable Player award?
Is Matthew Stafford Now Out of the MVP Race?
The simple answer is no, of course he isn't. Stafford is still the easy front-runner for MVP. Every quarterback, every team has a down game. Last season, Josh Allen had a game against the Indianapolis Colts in which he went 22-of-37 with zero touchdowns and two interceptions. The Bills won, but Allen didn't play his best game - it happens.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementThe criteria for MVP doesn't include playing perfect football for 17 games. If it did, no one would win the award. Stafford still leads the NFL in touchdown passes (32) and has seven more touchdowns than second place (Dak Prescott). And while he threw two interceptions against Carolina, he only has four on the year, which is the third fewest of any quarterback to start 12 games this season. Additionally, he is fifth in QBR and leads the NFL in passer rating.
Despite a rough outing, we shouldn't be worried about the Rams, nor should we all of a sudden think Matthew Stafford doesn't deserve the MVP, because he is still the clear leader of the pack.
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