Matthew Stafford solidifies place as MVP front-runner despite 'TNF' loss 

Thursday night marked the latest example of why Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford is the clear NFL MVP. The 37-year-old Stafford put up another stellar performance despite eventually falling to the Seattle Seahawks in overtime. 

While the game didn't end up going his team's way in overtime, Stafford did his part all night long. He completed 29-of-49 passes for 457 yards with three touchdowns and no picks. His quarterback rating was a solid 110.7.   

Matthew Stafford almost pulled off a seminal moment for his historic season 

Topping it all off, Stafford marched his team up the field for what would've been the game-winning score in overtime before watching Sam Darnold do the same for Seattle and then successfully convert a gutsy two-point conversion for the 38-37 win.  

Stafford's strong play in a big game comes as no surprise and just continues furthering his MVP case. Because while other early-season candidates like Johnathan Taylor or Baker Mayfield have faded down the stretch, Stafford has kept going to make the 11-4 Rams one of the top teams in the NFC.  

Matthew Stafford has made 2025 one of his best season yet

In the midst of one of the best seasons of his career, Stafford now has 4,179 passing yards, 40 touchdowns and only five interceptions through Week 16. Career wise, Stafford reached his 10th season with 4,000 yards and his third with 40 touchdowns. 

He's even made history multiple times this season, most notably making history as the first quarterback to ever throw at least four touchdown passes with zero interceptions in four straight games and also becoming the first since Tom Brady (2021) with 30 touchdown passes in his team's first 11 games. 

An MVP would be the final missing piece for Matthew Stafford's resume

Put all of this together and Stafford appears poised to add a major achievement to his already-impressive resume. Despite a career that's seen the No. 1 pick in the 2009 NFL Draft accumulate 62,639 yards and 407 touchdowns, Stafford has never come close to being named the league's MVP. In fact, he's only made two Pro Bowls during his 17-year career. 

Being named the league's MVP will most certainly solidify his future place in Canton as a Pro Football Hall of Famer. 

But of course, Stafford, like most all-time greats, wants to win above all else. So he would probably prefer to have a rough game in a win on Thursday night and lift the Lombardi Trophy for the second time instead of taking home any individual hardware