Puka Favored to win OPY while Stafford...

[DelMar]

Puka has the best odds for Offensive Player of the Year, while Matt Stafford is in a dead heated race for MVP w Maye...

1. Puka Nacua, WR, Los Angeles Rams

Even while missing a game because of an ankle injury, Nacua did more than enough to earn this honor. Smith-Njigba (3.86) narrowly topped Nacua (3.82) in yards per route run after a quiet Week 18 for the Rams star, but Nacua led the league with a 98 in ESPN's receiver scores, the third-best mark posted by any wideout in any season since 2017. And according to Next Gen Stats, the Rams star led the league in receptions over expected (18.7) and receiving yards over expected (449), owing both to excellent quarterback play from Matthew Stafford and a propensity for absolutely ridiculous catches, such as his one-handed catch on a fade for a touchdown against the Cardinals on Sunday.

Everything else Nacua does puts him over the top. He's incredibly physical after the catch and simply overpowers opposing defensive backs. He's an effective runner for the Rams on jet sweeps and racked up 105 rushing yards, five first downs and a touchdown on 10 carries. Nacua is also one of the NFL's best blocking wideouts. He might be the most complete player in the NFL.

1. Stafford/Maye by the numbers:



https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/475 ... candidates

[brasilrams]

Staff more yards , more TDS . BUT Maye has 400 rushing yards , better QBr, better YARDS/ATT AND better CMP.% ......it is tough but I think they are going to give to Maye

[DelMar]

Staff more yards , more TDS . BUT Maye has 400 rushing yards , better QBr, better YARDS/ATT AND better CMP.% ......it is tough but I think they are going to give to Maye

I do too…

[Henry VIII]

Stafford is a lock for MVP!

[DelMar]

Stafford is a lock for MVP!

Most would assume this, yes… BUT, then there is this thing called politics. So the word lock, maybe a stretch in this day and age.

Hope you’re right there King H

[49RH8R]

Staff more yards , more TDS . BUT Maye has 400 rushing yards , better QBr, better YARDS/ATT AND better CMP.% ......it is tough but I think they are going to give to Maye

Maye had a lot weaker competition and Stafford has 20 TD's and 2 INT against teams over .500. I think Stafford gets it.

[49RH8R]

Stafford is a lock for MVP!

I think Stafford will get it too. His 46 TD's will be impossible to overlook. You win games by scoring points.

[SoCalRam78]

Stafford is first QB since Brady 2007 to lead NFL in TDs, TD/INT ratio and passing yards. Obviously a historic season for Brady and it is for Stafford. But east coast media bias never loses. Maye had a great season but it wasn’t a once in 20 year season. Pats schedule was one of softest in nfl history. They beat one team that ended up with a winning record.

[brasilrams]

Staff more yards , more TDS . BUT Maye has 400 rushing yards , better QBr, better YARDS/ATT AND better CMP.% ......it is tough but I think they are going to give to Maye

Maye had a lot weaker competition and Stafford has 20 TD's and 2 INT against teams over .500. I think Stafford gets it.

Someone said that they don't take strength of schedule into consideration when awarding the mvp. But if they do, staff should win by far because our schedule was 300 times.tougher than NE

[Holding]

Both should win.

[Jack85Youngblood]

East Coast bias. Maye will win MVP and that will be a travesty.

[Bulldawg]

Stafford is a lock for MVP!

I think Stafford will get it too. His 46 TD's will be impossible to overlook. You win games by scoring points.

They have overlooked Stafford his entire career. Don't be surprised if/when it happens again. 2011-2012 Stafford had 5,000 yards and never sniffed a Pro Bowl...much less MVP. (Not even top 5 in ProBowl voting if I remember correctly.) I think they went 10-6 and made playoffs that year as well.

My memory is a little cloudy, but my point is that I doubt Stafford will get the MVP. Here is a question...for this year, which QB would most teams rather have as their QB. Stafford or Maye? I would clearly prefer Stafford and assume most of us would as well. It would be interesting to get feedback from other teams on who they would prefer. I can't imagine many would pick Maye over Stafford. (Shouldn't that give insight on the MVP for the year?)

[49RH8R]

I think Stafford will get it too. His 46 TD's will be impossible to overlook. You win games by scoring points.

They have overlooked Stafford his entire career. Don't be surprised if/when it happens again. 2011-2012 Stafford had 5,000 yards and never sniffed a Pro Bowl...much less MVP. (Not even top 5 in ProBowl voting if I remember correctly.) I think they went 10-6 and made playoffs that year as well.

My memory is a little cloudy, but my point is that I doubt Stafford will get the MVP. Here is a question...for this year, which QB would most teams rather have as their QB. Stafford or Maye? I would clearly prefer Stafford and assume most of us would as well. It would be interesting to get feedback from other teams on who they would prefer. I can't imagine many would pick Maye over Stafford. (Shouldn't that give insight on the MVP for the year?)

IMHO there is no way to justify Maye over Stafford. Stafford has a lot more TD's and more yards. Everybody loves Maye's comp % but he did it with 105 fewer attempts. Would he still be at 70% if he had to throw 100 more passes? It's a legitimate question. And I saw a stat the other day that showed MS had 20 TD's and 2 INT vs. teams over .500 and Maye had 2 TD's and 1 INT against teams over .500. That is insane. Guess what Maye did in his TWO games against the Bills. He had 0 TD passes and 1 INT. In two games . (he did have 2 rushing TD's fwiw). Also, Stafford had 15 multiple TD games tying Hall of Famers Peyton Manning and Dan Marino. I think Maye's level of competition is a real issue especially because MS has produced against great defenses - 5 TD's in two games vs. Seattle. Stafford also set a franchise record for TD passes and a lot of other impressive things I won't go into.......like leading the NFL's #1 scoring offense. I'm with Henry that it's closer to a lock than Maye winning it.

And Detroit was a long time ago but Stafford definitely got totally shafted on that Pro Bowl.

[Cornell29]

This is so true. Some here wonder why Rams pass so much in the redzone too. Rams been struggling with goaline runs and 3rd and 4th and short. Rams successfully run many times, when the opposing team doesn't expect it, but when the opposing team run blitz, Rams OL falls apart.

[DelMar]

This is so true. Some here wonder why Rams pass so much in the redzone too. Rams been struggling with goaline runs and 3rd and 4th and short. Rams successfully run many times, when the opposing team doesn't expect it, but when the opposing team run blitz, Rams OL falls apart.

Thanks you for pointing this out, C29...

I often wonder is we had a Tom Rathman, Mike Alstott, Marion Motley, or even a Bronko Nagurski... Just a massive big dude back there to move the line... but teams do not have fullbacks anymore. I get why teams dont it anymore as the league has changed.. but it's still puzzling to me why they dont as well.

Rams backs are so small. Yes, great movers / fast guys, yes... we got that. but we do not have the big back. Our guys literally just bounce off the lines.

I think also this is why we are seeing this toosh push crap now, as teams are trying to figure out how to get that 1 - 2 yards... Eagles went and got creative and are getting away w the BS play. So why aren't we doing it?

[GSOT89]

cause the Eagles are winners and winners do what they gotta do, they have a big fast physical gamer QB, we don't have one and were not that physical.

games are won and lost in the trenches, always been this way

our SB team had Von Miller LB, Aaron Donald DL, and Ramsey DB among others