ClutchPoints
The idea changed in the NFL MVP race coming out of Week 15, with Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills making a big statement with a comeback win over Drake Maye and the New England Patriots. In Week 16, the order at the top of the race was restored.
On Sunday morning, a banged-up Allen played a subpar game against the Cleveland Browns as the Bills barely escaped with a victory. At the same time, Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert put on a show against the Dallas Cowboys to get the Chargers to 11-4 on the season.
Later that night, Maye rebounded from an early interception and led two clutch fourth-quarter touchdown drives to overcome an 11-point deficit and beat the Baltimore Ravens in prime time. Earlier in the week, MVP frontrunner Matthew Stafford played one of the best quarterback games of the 2025 season in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night.
Did Maye do enough to move into the top spot? Did Allen drop in the rankings after a rough day?
Honorable mention: Jaguars QB Trevor Lawrence, Browns EDGE Myles Garrett, Seahawks WR Jaxon Smith-Njigba
Week 16 didn’t go as planned for Jordan Love, who left Saturday night’s Packers-Bears game with a concussion in the first half. Malik Willis did an admirable job win relief, but it wasn’t enough to get a win over the unkillable Bears.
The Packers are now essentially out of the division race, as the Bears need just one win or a Packers loss to clinch the NFC North crown. That, combined with a statistical drop-off due to the injury and the possibility of Love missing Week 17 against the Ravens, drops him down the list.
Allen had arguably his worst game of the season on Sunday against a very good Browns defense, which knocks him down a spot in the rankings this week. Out of all qualified passers, the reigning MVP had the second-lowest EPA per dropback (-0.45), above only Brady Cook of the Jets. He finished 12-for-19 with 130 yards in a 23-20 win as the Bills kept pace in the AFC East race.
Allen will have one final public opportunity to make his case for the award when the Bills take on the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 17. However, Buffalo needs the Patriots to lose to either the Dolphins or Jets to have a chance to win the AFC East, and Allen may need the same to happen in order to gain ground on Drake Maye in the MVP race.
Herbert finally matched up the eye test with the stat sheet on Sunday, carving up the Dallas Cowboys in a 34-17 win for Los Angeles. Is the Cowboys’ defense indicative of anything the Chargers will see over the course of the rest of the season? No. Does that take away from what Herbert did in Week 16? Also no.
The Chargers star...
