Ranking NFL MVP Candidates Entering Week 12

Every team across the National Football League has now played at least 10 games this season, providing plenty of NFL stats to evaluate the best players right now. One of the biggest questions right now, who will win NFL MVP? What’s become clear is that we’re going to get a first-time MVP winner this season.

Let’s dive into our NFL MVP candidates rankings entering Sunday’s Week 12 action.

5. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills

The Buffalo Bills’ performance on Thursday Night Football all but assured that reigning NFL MVP Josh Allen won’t win the award in 2025. While he did deliver a six-touchdown performance days prior versus Tampa Bay, Allen has only posted a 5-5 TD-INT line with a 90.1 QB rating and a 1-2 record in his last three games. Allen might be the most important player to his team’s success this season, but it’s for a Wild Card team.

• Josh Allen stats (2025): 2,709 passing yards, 69.7% completion rate, 8.3 yards per attempt, 18-9 TD-INT, 101.6 QB rating, 371 rushing yards, 10 rushing touchdowns, 0.239 Adj. EPA per Play, 58.2 ESPN QBR

Related: NFL Power Rankings 2025, Evaluating all 32 Teams

4. Jordan Love, QB, Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love is getting almost no mention among NFL MVP candidates right now. While that might be the case, he’s starting to prove he is one of the best quarterbacks in the league. Love entered Week 12 with the highest Adjusted EPA per Play (0.291) in the NFL, even ahead of Drake Maye (0.284). Love also ranks fifth in adjusted net yards per attempt (7.56), third in fourth-quarter comebacks (four), and he ranks fifth in ESPN QBR (69.6). All of that comes with a career-low 1 percent interception rate. To top it all off, Love’s success comes at a time when Packers’ receivers can’t hold onto the football, Green Bay is struggling on the ground, and its offensive line is getting worse in pass protection.

• Jordan Love stats (2025): 2,421 passing yards, 67.7% completion rate, 7.8 yards per attempt, 15-3 TD-INT, 103.2 QB rating, 145 rushing yards, 0.291 Adjusted EPA per Play

Related: NFL QB Rankings Entering Week 12

3. Jonathan Taylor, RB, Indianapolis Colts

Jonathan Taylor is the obvious choice for Offensive Player of the Year, but winning NFL MVP still seems unlikely for the Indianapolis Colts running back. What matters is that at a time when quarterback Daniel Jones is regressing back to his standard level of play, Taylor is playing his best football. Over the last four games, the All-Pro running back is averaging 134 rushing yards and 2 rushing touchdowns per game, putting up an absurd 7.2 yards-per-carry average. Taylor’s very presence is also a big reason why Jones is having a career-best season, and the Colts are 8-2 with an offense that leads the NFL in scoring (32.1 PPG) and ranks first in both yards per play (6.4). This is the only offense in the league averaging over 40 yards per drive.

• Jonathan Taylor stats (2025): 1,139 rushing yards, 6.0 yards per carry, 58 first downs, 0 fumbles, 30 receptions, 260 receiving yards, 8.7 yards per reception, 17 total touchdowns

Related: Week 12 Fantasy Rankings

2. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams

The NFL MVP debate really comes down to Matthew Stafford versus Drake Maye. What’s remarkable is that there were concerns about the 37-year-old’s back coming into the season. All the Los Angeles Rams quarterback has done is lead the NFL in passing touchdowns while posting career highs in touchdown rate (8 percent), a career-low 0.6 percent interception rate, and the best passer rating (112.7) of his career. The primary reason he places below Maye in our rankings of NFL MVP candidates is that the Rams’ 21-19 victory over the Seahawks and the 17-3 win over Baltimore demonstrate that the Rams can win with their star-studded roster even when Stafford doesn’t play well.

• Matthew Stafford stats (2025): 2,557 passing yards, 66% completion rate, 7.6 yards per attempt, 27-2 TD-INT, 112.7 QB rating, 68.7 ESPN QBR, 0.233 Adj. EPA per Play

1. Drake Maye, QB, New England Patriots

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye should win NFL MVP as of now. That’s a remarkable thing to say about a second-year player who entered this season with many questioning if the team did enough to build a good enough supporting cast around him. During this 9-1 stretch by New England, Maye has completed 73 percent of his passes while averaging 254.9 passing yards per game with a 118.7 QB rating, 9.3 yards per attempt and a 19-4 TD-INT line. For good measure, he’s also tacked on 274 rushing yards and 2 scores. We’ll also note that since Week 2, Maye leads the NFL in Adjusted EPA per Play (0.32), Completion Rate over Expectation (11.4) and he’s second in air yards (9.3). He’s accomplishing all of this with an offensive line that ranks just 20th in ESPN Pass-Block Win Rate (60 percent) and a rushing offense with the lowest Rushing Success rate (33.2 percent) in the NFL. Maye’s numbers and the way he is carrying the Patriots offense make him the NFL MVP.

• Drake Maye stats (2025): 2,836 passing yards, 71.9% completion rate, 8.9 yards per attempt, 20-5 TD-INT, 113.2 QB rating, 285 rushing yards, 2 rushing touchdowns, 73.2 QBR.

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