The NFL MVP race usually delivers debate, and this year, it delivered chaos. When the final ballots were revealed for the NFL MVP award for the 2025 season, the Los Angeles Rams QB Matthew Stafford.

But if you look closely at how many votes he received compared to his competitors, the voting distribution might surprise you at first.

Out of 50 voters, one first-place vote went to Justin Herbert. Not Matthew Stafford, who led the tally. Not Drake Maye, who pushed the race to the edge. And definitely not Josh Allen. One voter stood alone, and the internet lost its mind.

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Stafford led with 24 first-place votes, followed closely by Maye with 23. Allen received two votes. But one of the MVP voters cast his single first-place vote for Herbert.

That lone vote triggered immediate backlash, with fans and analysts questioning how Herbert could even enter the conversation. However, rather than letting the criticism simmer, the voter, Sam Monson, addressed the controversy directly on X.

“I was the Justin Herbert vote,” voter Monson wrote. “The guy had the worst offensive line in the NFL all season and despite that he was working miracles in almost every single game. Stafford’s OL became two-fifths as bad as Herbert’s for five minutes and he became a turnover howitzer.”

If that’s the voter’s opinion, let’s dive in and examine what the statistics really say about Herbert and Stafford’s 2025 NFL season through the lens of the offensive line.

To start with, the Chargers’ offensive line was among the NFL’s worst in 2025. The Chargers’ O-line left Herbert under constant siege. Los Angeles allowed 60 sacks in 17 games, nearly four per game, one of the highest totals in the league. 

With that, Pro Football Focus ranked the unit 30th in pass-blocking efficiency and second-worst in pass-blocking grade, with pressure coming consistently from both the interior and the edge.

By comparison, the Rams’ offensive line gave the NFL MVP award winner, Stafford, far cleaner pockets. Stafford was sacked 23 times during the regular season, less than half of Herbert’s total. Additionally, PFF credited the Rams with 154 total pressures and just 15 sacks allowed on 624 pass snaps, one of the lower sack totals in the league.

Based on ESPN’s 2025 regular-season statistics, Matthew Stafford finished the year with 4,707 passing yards, 46 touchdown passes, and 8 interceptions, while posting a 71.0 Total QBR. Whereas Herbert recorded 3,727 passing yards, 26 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions, with a 60.7 Total QBR. 

Statistically, Stafford held clear advantages in passing volume, scoring production, and that’s what paid off through an NFL MVP award of the 2025 season.

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Travis Kelce has lost one of the NFL‘s most prestigious annual honors amid ongoing questions about his potential retirement. The Chiefs star continues to remain mum about his future in the league and has yet to make the highly anticipated decision.

NFL releases Travis Kelce news

Travis Kelce was recently nominated for the NFL Honors’ Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award. The Kansas City Chiefs picked him from the team as a potential candidate for the award. It is one of the most prestigious titles that the league presents each year. Past recipients of the award include Bobby Wagner, Arik Armstead, and Cameron Heyward, among other stars.

However, in a disappointing moment for Kelce, the award finally went to the Washington Commanders’ Bobby Wagner. The star linebacker delivered a heartfelt acceptance speech, thanking his parents. “I didn’t realize how hard it was to be a father until I got two kids of my own,” Wagner cheered his father, Bobby Sr. On an emotional note, he called his mom “my rock,” declaring, “she’s the reason why I’m standing up here.”

The Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year Award was announced on Thursday, February 5. One of the highest honors in the league, the award was established in 1970. It “recognizes an NFL player for his excellence on and off the field.” According to the official website, the recipient of this annual award gets “up to a $250,000 donation to the charity of his choice.” Meanwhile, all 32 club winners receive “up to a $40,000 donation to their charity of choice.”

Kelce’s disappointing loss at this year’s NFL Honors comes amid the growing speculation about his potential retirement. The Kansas City Chiefs star has yet to announce whether he will hang up his cleats this year. He weighed in on the retirement rumors on the January 7 episode of the New Heights podcast. The tight end told his brother and co-host Jason Kelce that he plans on “just being a regular human for a couple weeks, maybe a month or so, trying to figure out what I’m gonna do next in terms of my future in football.”

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