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The New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams have playoff implications in Week 18 of the 2025 NFL season but both franchises will also be looking to feature their respective quarterbacks, who are basically going head to head for the 2025 NFL MVP award. Second-year quarterback Drake Maye has been a major part of New England's resurgence, leading the Patriots to their first AFC East division title since 2019 with 4,203 yards, 30 touchdowns and just eight interceptions heading into the season finale. Maye also has just over 400 yards on the ground with four rushing scores. The Patriots can clinch the top seed in the AFC if they win and the Broncos lose to the Chargers.

The Rams were in the driver's seat for the No. 1 seed in the NFC but faltered over the last two weeks and will now be hitting the road. Matthew Stafford, who dealt with back issues in training camp and the preseason to the point where it was expected he would start the season on injured reserve, has played every game for L.A. so far. He's thrown for 4,448 yards, 42 touchdowns and just eight interceptions on the year. It's a new career high in touchdown passes for the veteran, who achieved 41 touchdowns in two previous seasons (2011 and 2021). L.A. will be either the No. 5 or No. 6 seed in the playoffs.

There are other contenders for NFL MVP at DraftKings, but Maye is the odds-on favorite after dominating the Jets in Week 17 (256 yards, five touchdowns) while Stafford had an off performance (269 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions) in a loss to the Falcons on Monday Night Football. Here's a look at the latest NFL MVP odds at DraftKings and how bettors should approach the market.

NFL MVP odds (via DraftKings)

Drake Maye, Patriots: -295
Matthew Stafford, Rams: +225
Trevor Lawrence, Jaguars: +20000
Caleb Williams, Bears: +25000
Christian McCaffrey, 49ers: +30000
Josh Allen, Bills: +30000
Sam Darnold, Seahawks: +40000
Bo Nix, Broncos: +40000
C.J. Stroud, Texans: +50000
Justin Herbert, Chargers: +50000
Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Seahawks: +50000
Jalen Hurts, Eagles: +50000
Baker Mayfield, Buccaneers: +100000

The last few weeks have taken a toll on Stafford's case, especially with Maye dominating. The Patriots have the narrative edge here, with Maye leading the franchise back to prominence after Tom Brady and Bill Belichick's departure. Stafford has the better overall numbers and could get some legacy votes due to his tenure. If Maye was a small-market quarterback, the oddsmakers might still lean towards Stafford. But we saw what happened last year with Josh Allen winning over Lamar Jackson even though the latter had superior stats. It's hard to bet on Stafford at this stage, especially since the Rams might not play him the entire game against Arizona in Week 18 since there's not much incentive for them regarding playoff seeding. Maye is likely to play until the game is in hand against Miami.

One player who is surprisingly low on this board is McCaffrey, who has turned in one of his most dominant seasons ever. He's 110 yards away from becoming the only player to achieve a 1,000-yard rushing and receiving season in the same year twice. The 49ers have been hit with injuries all year but McCaffrey has kept them afloat and could potentially land them the No. 1 seed in the NFC. That's worth more than +30000, but this has largely become a quarterback award. McCaffrey is +250 to win OPOY and that's where I'd bet on him to be rewarded for his campaign.