Now on the Rams, Matthew Stafford opens as a top-5 MVP favorite

Matthew Stafford has been named to the Pro Bowl exactly one time during his 12 NFL seasons. Now on the LA Rams instead of the Detroit Lions, Stafford is an early consideration as one of the favorites for the 2021 MVP award. Those are lofty expectations for a quarterback who hasn’t been a part of a 10-win team since 2014, but that changed as soon as he got traded to a 10-win team.

Stafford opened with the fifth-best odds to win MVP next season, following Patrick Mahomes, Aaron Rodgers, Josh Allen, and Russell Wilson. Stafford’s odds are slightly better than Tom Brady, Lamar Jackson, Dak Prescott, and Deshaun Watson.

Player - Odds

Patrick Mahomes +500

Aaron Rodgers +800

Josh Allen +1300

Russell Wilson +1300

Matthew Stafford +1500

Tom Brady +1600

Lamar Jackson +1600

Dak Prescott +1700

Deshaun Watson +1700

The 2011 Comebacker Player of the Year, Stafford completed 64.2% of his passes last season for 4,084 yards, 26 touchdowns, 10 interceptions, a passer rating of 96.3 and he was sacked 38 times. He will now be protected by one of 2020’s better pass blocking o-lines, backed by one of the league’s most efficient rushing attacks, and complemented by Robert Woods, Cooper Kupp, and Cam Akers, among others. And he’ll be hoping for LA to have a top-five defense again, good enough to put him closer to the red zone far more often than the Detroit Lions were able to.

Stafford led the NFL in game-winning drives in 2014, 2016, and 2017.