Dan Orlovsky Doubles Down on Stafford MVP Take, Roasts Critics
The NFL regular season is winding down, and just when you think the MVP race is locked up, chaos ensues. If you watched Monday Night Football, you witnessed Matthew Stafford and the Los Angeles Rams absolutely implode against the Atlanta Falcons. It wasn’t just a bad game; it was the kind of performance that usually deletes a player’s MVP candidacy in real-time. Three interceptions, including a pick-six that probably had fantasy owners throwing their remotes through their TVs? Yeah, it was rough.
Naturally, the door swung wide open for New England Patriots rookie sensation Drake Maye to take the lead. But if you think everyone is jumping on the Maye bandwagon, you haven’t been listening to Dan Orlovsky. The ESPN analyst is sticking to his guns, and honestly, he’s getting a little spicy about it.
The “Context” Argument
Despite Stafford’s nightmare fuel performance on Monday, Orlovsky went on The Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday to essentially say, “I said what I said.”
His argument boils down to one word: Context. Orlovsky isn’t impressed by stat-padding against terrible teams. While Drake Maye was busy tossing five touchdowns against the New York Jets (which, let’s be honest, is basically a practice squad scrimmage at this point), Stafford has been navigating a minefield of a schedule.
“If I was voting today, I would vote for Stafford,” Orlovsky claimed, likely causing Patriots fans everywhere to spit out their clam chowder. His logic is that you can’t just look at the raw numbers without looking at who they played. The Patriots have enjoyed the softest schedule in the league, while the Rams have been grinding through the sixth hardest. It’s the classic “Quality of Wins” debate, just packaged in an MVP argument.
The Twitter Beef: Orlovsky vs. The World
Of course, you can’t have a hot take on the internet without someone calling you out. Enter Will Compton. The former Raiders linebacker took to X (formerly Twitter) to ask the question that was on every New England fan’s mind: “Why do you hate Drake Maye?”
It’s a fair question on the surface. Maye has 4,203 yards and 30 touchdowns and has dragged the Patriots to a 13-3 record. He’s arguably the turnaround story of the year. But Orlovsky wasn’t about to let the “hater” allegations slide without a little sarcasm.
In a response that was dripping with irony, Orlovsky listed the “reasons” for his disdain. He joked that he hates Maye because he was wrong about the Jordan Love timeline, or because Maye refused to let Orlovsky train him for the draft (which is hilarious because Dan doesn’t train players). He even tossed in a jab about the Patriots not drafting him back in his playing days. It was a masterclass in deflecting criticism by leaning into the absurdity of internet rumors.
Stafford vs. Maye: By The Numbers
Let’s strip away the punditry for a second. Is Orlovsky actually onto something, or is he just being stubborn?
Stafford, even after the Monday night disaster, leads in total passing yards (4,448) and touchdowns (42). Those are video game numbers. However, he and Maye are now tied with eight interceptions apiece. The efficiency gap is closing, and the momentum is clearly in New England’s favor.
Orlovsky’s point about “high leverage throws” is valid, though. Stafford is asked to make throws into tighter windows against fiercer defenses. Drake Maye has been phenomenal, but throwing against the Jets’ secondary is a bit like playing Madden on Rookie difficulty. It boosts the confidence (and the stats), but does it prove you’re the Most Valuable Player in the entire league?
Drake Maye Keeps It Classy
While Orlovsky fights off the internet mob and Stafford tries to forget Monday night ever happened, Drake Maye is playing it cool. When asked about the MVP buzz during a Wednesday press conference, the second-year QB gave the most boring, PR-friendly answer possible—and that’s a compliment.
“It’s an honor… It’s a team deal,” Maye said. He’s not biting on the bait. He knows the Patriots have one game left against the Dolphins to seal the deal.
The Verdict
We have one week of football left. If Stafford rebounds and the Rams make the playoffs, Orlovsky looks like a genius who values nuance over recency bias. If Maye lights up Miami and Stafford struggles again, Orlovsky might want to stay off Twitter for a few days.
Either way, the debate highlights exactly why we love this sport. It’s never just about the box score; it’s about the narrative, the strength of schedule, and apparently, sarcastic tweets from former quarterbacks.
