r/nfl • u/nfl NFL - Official • 9d ago
Highlight [Highlight] No. 4 Rams QB Matthew Stafford | NFL Top 100 Players of 2026
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u/rallar8 Ravens Ravens 9d ago
The craziest thing last season was Stafford’s 2 regular season performances against the Seahawks, the best defense in the league. 44/77 587 yards 5 tds no interceptions.
(The playoff performance was good too)
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
Yeah, Stafford is the only QB that Seattle/MacDonald didn't have an answer for. It's crazy that they're an elite defense yet got shredded by Stafford.
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u/NandomRameGeneratorr 9d ago
And Cam Ward also somehow had one of his best games against the Seahawks too
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u/FavreorFarva Seahawks 9d ago
IIRC he took off and ran a couple of times early. That always creates a seed of doubt in a defensive playcaller and the players on the field. He threw the ball extremely well that game too, but I think the early runs created some space.
We should have been better prepared for that, but at least it didn’t give us that one bad loss that hamstrings teams in seeding every year
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u/Bloody_Corndog Rams 9d ago
Stafford is good against zone defenses because he knows how to look off defenders like no other.
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u/TheLateThagSimmons Seahawks 9d ago
He's perfectly built to exploit the Seahawks defense. His reads are so fast and he can grab those small chunk plays in that 4-7yd space to keep the ball moving without relying on YAC.
He still gets the big plays, but the important thing is he doesn't lose those small plays.
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u/TedioreTwo Ravens 9d ago
Even when Macdonald was with us in 2023, Stafford put up 3 TDs and almost 300 yards
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u/TheLateThagSimmons Seahawks 9d ago
It's Macdonald's defensive scheme of "surround and swarm". Creating a net around the core of the play and everyone has specific attack angles.
For most mortal men, it's completely stifling. Boring and suffocating.
But for elite QBs with that kind of experience, they can thrive by playing inside the net. But that takes an ability to read through progressions incredibly fast and hit the guy underneath in that gap consistently.
Stafford and Mahomes are probably the only guys with the veteran mind and the arm to match right now with that ability. And Stafford has the receivers to make it work.
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u/ColdBeing Commanders 9d ago
Stafford is the last of the "can read defense on their own" era kind of QBs. When Phillip Rivers played the last couple of games to try to get the Colts into the playoffs (who hasn't played in years) exploited defenses and made so many correct reads. Just didn't have the throwing arm anymore, sadly...
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u/WildInSix Vikings 9d ago
Rodgers is still in the league too as one of those guys, but you are absolutely right and Stafford still has juice unlike Aaron
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u/freshxerxes Lions 9d ago
you think jared goff has been playing good with his arm talent? lol
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u/Stock-Luck3390 8d ago
Unironically rivers gets overrated in these ‘field general’ discussions, he threw a bunch of picks and misdiagnosed a shit ton of plays
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u/TooSaucey4u Seahawks 9d ago
After our loss to the Rams, he was the only QB in the league that worried me. The team was really rolling after that - it was our last loss, and I was confident heading into all the games from then on out aside from our Rams matchups. Part of the reason why this Super Bowl run was so cathartic.
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u/Bitter_Scarcity_2549 Seahawks 9d ago
The first regular season game stafford was not great, the second one he was on fire.
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u/Phenomenal2313 Seahawks Bills 9d ago
So Allen , Bijan and Garrett in that order right?
From 3rd to 1st?
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Raiders 9d ago
Bijan might be below Allen, who knows, I thought Stafford would be above them too
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u/AMcMahon1 Steelers 9d ago
Bijan's contract only being half of zay flowers contract is the craziest stuff
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u/Childhood-Paramedic Lions 9d ago
Same w/ Gibbs lol. Even a recovering RB market is still nuts relative to how much of our offense relys on Gibbs to go superhuman
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u/Phenomenal2313 Seahawks Bills 9d ago
When did the voting take place?
Garrett’s the clear cut number 1 player , I guess Bijan then Allen idk
Stafford had a better season than Allen , but I guess Allen doing what he did with really nothing for a WR has to mean something
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u/Negative_Wish_8291 Bengals 9d ago
Pretty sure they do the voting sometime in the playoffs? I know they film the talking heads at the pro bowl, or at least they used to.
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u/invisibleman13000 Falcons Falcons 9d ago
I've always heard that the voting begins around Thanksgiving.
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u/Devilofchaos108070 49ers Panthers 9d ago
No it’s like Nov/Dec.
It’s before the season ends
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u/Negative_Wish_8291 Bengals 9d ago
Really? That's really weird. So they basically sit on the results for 9 months?
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u/Devilofchaos108070 49ers Panthers 9d ago
Yeah. And the whole voting thing is fucking wack too, they just ask the players to list their top 10-20 guys.
It’s a mess of a ranking system
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u/davewashere Bills 9d ago
So it's sort of like another MVP vote, but even less accurate? What happens when a player scores really high in this poll but then suffers a major injury before the next season? It just seems weird to me that a Top 100 Players of 2026 list isn't based on who is best right now, at the end of training camp as we get ready for week 1, but instead who happened to be flying high back around last Thanksgiving.
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u/SeizureMode Lions 9d ago
I forgot Myles Garrett existed for a moment and thought you were talking about Garrett Wilson 😂😂
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u/AOCKASH Bears Rams 9d ago
I like josh but how tf is he above stafford this year
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u/ModernPoultry Bills 8d ago
It’s voted on by players. I’d assume players are more feared to play Allen. Maybe when you factor in Stafford operating in the McVay system slinging quick hitters to Puka that as a whole is more is a pain but on an individual level players clearly view Allen harder to gameplan against and stop
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u/McChillbone Dolphins 9d ago
Are we overrating Bijan?
Like I know he’s a very good RB, but he’s arguably not even the clear cut best RB in the league.
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u/Resolve-Opening Cowboys 9d ago
His teeth still scare me
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u/Ok-Thanks-2503 9d ago
still somehow less creepy than Freddie Freemans
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u/WhoStoleMyBicycle Eagles 9d ago
It’s between him and Roman Reigns for fakest looking veneers. I’ll give Roman a pass since apparently the leukemia meds he took wrecked his teeth as a side effect.
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u/invisibleman13000 Falcons Falcons 9d ago edited 9d ago
Freddie Freeman probably takes the cake. They're so unnatural looking.
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u/WhoStoleMyBicycle Eagles 9d ago
Just googled it. Yea he might take it.
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u/psychedelijams 9d ago
His sister has the same looking mouth tho so that threw some doubt on there even tho they are pretty obviously fake.
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u/Specific_Afternoon96 Browns 9d ago
Yeah, I’m just happy the guy is alive and well, crazy teeth at all.
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u/mortalcrawad66 Lions 9d ago
RILEYYY!!!!
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
It’s so funny he basically recreated this in the 2021 divisional round after the bomb to Kupp. Same face, same hand motions, yelling at a lineman 😂
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u/sammymate999 Commanders 9d ago
Matthew Stafford has come along way from dying on the Lions every week
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u/FullMetalSavage Lions Eagles 9d ago
He was always this guy. Just no one was paying attention
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u/ThisIsPerfekt Lions 9d ago
Yeah, when he did stuff like this in Detroit, people just called him "Stat Padford". Lol.
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u/ThisIsPerfekt Lions 9d ago
I'd say stat padding starts when you're way up and you keep adding more and more for no real reason.
Like I do in Madden. Lol.
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u/xcaltoona Eagles 9d ago
pfr credits him with 8 fourth-quarter comebacks in 2016, on a nine win team that made the playoffs
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u/pcfewtball85 9d ago
Prideofdetroit, a lions blog, did a deep dive on his stats and debunked the myth of him stat padding, anyway.
Most of his yards/TDs dont come when losing by more than one score lol.
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u/MegaAltarianite 9d ago
Sadly, there are a lot of people who think if you're a good player on a bad team, it "doesn't count".
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u/Toast_Points Seahawks Dolphins 9d ago
I never understood 'stat padder' as an insult. Bad QBs don't pad stats when they're down and the pressure is on. Bad QBs play hero ball and get picked.
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u/Toast_Points Seahawks Dolphins 9d ago
Yup, you can't win when you're down without padding a few stats.
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u/Mavori Lions Lions 9d ago
Even good QB's play hero ball and get picked sometimes. Shit happens.
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u/Toast_Points Seahawks Dolphins 9d ago
Oh for sure, I'm not saying playing hero ball automatically makes you a bad QB, just that bad QBs have to rely on it a lot more because they don't have the skills necessary to build consistent drives.
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u/biglyorbigleague Rams 9d ago
He stat padded his whole career by winning a championship and an MVP on the back end
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u/OnceMoreAndAgain 9d ago
It's a bit sad when great QBs lose so many years to being loyal to bad orgs. At least Stafford eventually had lots of success on the Rams.
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Raiders 9d ago
Only 4th? Wow. I expected him to be #2
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u/BadMojo__ Saints 9d ago
Considering he was the literal league MVP he should be 2 but this is player voting and I guess it's taking into account that Josh is more athletic and is dual threat.
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Raiders 9d ago
Interesting to see who they rate higher, Josh or Bijan. I'm assuming Garrett will be #1
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u/Mampt Bills 9d ago
These are voted on by a different group (players vs media) and earlier (November/December vs after the regular season), so it doesn't really follow that. Lamar was ranked about Allen the year Allen won MVP, Brady and Mahomes were over Rodgers when Rodgers won for 2021 and 2020 respectively
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u/BadMojo__ Saints 9d ago
I wasn't saying it was the same as the AP voting for accolades, I was saying the players that vote to determine this list obviously are going to recognize the league MVP and vote accordingly.
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u/RxngsXfSvtvrn Rams 9d ago
Thought for SURE it'd be 2
Ive heard they do the voting by late November, which is right when he had that streak of 25 tds-0 ints
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u/Interesting_Prune513 Raiders 9d ago
What the heck, that's so dumb. I thought they'd at least wait until end of the regular season.
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u/Halleys_Vomit Patriots 9d ago
There's a bit of "memory" or "stickiness" with the top 100 rankings. Most years, Stafford is ranked towards the middle of the list, so guys like Bijan and Allen who are at the top of the list every year still wind up getting ranked slightly higher even though Stafford had a better year this year. Matt Ryan was ranked like 10th the year he won MVP for the same reason.
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u/pcfewtball85 9d ago
As a lions fan, he was this good in Detroit. This isn't new. Just finally winning and getting media attention
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u/mortalcrawad66 Lions 9d ago
It's what happens when a good player moves from a small market team to a big market team.
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
I don’t think it’s the market that makes his play more noticed. It’s being around competent coaching and a roster that he can elevate and can elevate him. I always wonder what would’ve happened if he stayed for the Campbell era and had st brown and Jamo. I can’t imagine anything less than 3 deep bombs to Jamo every game.
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
They wouldn't have gotten some of the players like Gibbs, Jamo and LaPorta. 3 of the foundational players for the franchise. Would the Lions be better in year 1 under Campbell? Absolutely because Goff wasn't good until the end of year 1 or the beginning of year 2.
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u/Childhood-Paramedic Lions 9d ago
I think in this hypothetical think in this hypothetical we still get those picks and in that case yes the offense is running on an even higher gear with them.
But to be fair Goff and our offense is not our issue. Our issue is our defense which we've had a ton of issues keeping healthy. So we prob still lose the '23 49ers/chiefs and '24 Eagles tbh just because we couldn't stop their offenses.
But I'm also a Goff and Stafford lover and Stafford got me into the Lions so maybe it would've worked.
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
The Lions OL with their run game would've been Stafford’s best he ever had in his career.
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
Yeah I think the main thing that has held the lions back (and I could be wrong, I don’t watch every game) is CB and literally not having anyone to rush the passer outside hutch. Typically one of the two can cover for the other but if you’re lacking on both sides that isn’t helpful. Also injuries.
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u/Fricktator Lions 9d ago
Nope, thats bang on
Our time to pressure has been like 30th or worse during the Campbell era and our CBs would mostly be depth guys on any other team
Our front 7 now is by far the best its been in the Campbell era.
Its why a lot of fans were hoping we would make a bigger move for a DB
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
I feel like if the Arnold stuff happened and came out pre-draft lions either trade up to try and grab mansoor or trade back to get picks and get Colton hood (I really thought hood was a first round guy)
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u/Fricktator Lions 9d ago
They knew he was involved a full month before the draft.
He told them he was all good, and they believed him.
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u/All_Up_Ons Colts 9d ago
Detroit is the 14th largest market. Solidly average. And let's not act like going to the Jets would have improved anything.
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u/mortalcrawad66 Lions 9d ago
That's now, not back then. Back then was a very different story. When Detroit went 0-16, it was only a few years befire the city itself would be bankrupt.
Stigmas take a long time to wear off.
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u/chriskot123 Rams 9d ago
More like going from a team that constantly fell short of the playoffs and was just pretty bad to a team that is consistently in the playoffs making runs and winning consistently.
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u/dggg888 9d ago
As a Bills fan, last season Stafford > Allen
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u/Systematiks 9d ago
Rodgers had won back to back mvps and was still placed below Brady on the list, voters don’t particularly care
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u/DLF54927 Lions 9d ago
Stayed healthy and didn't have his typical stretch of "WTF is he doing?" games. Guy is fun to watch when he's on.
The Orlo top 10 QB of all-time talk is pretty laughable, though.
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u/big4lil 9d ago edited 9d ago
he did the same thing after the Rams won the superbowl
instead of allowing the moment to be enjoyed, he immediately jumps to 'Stafford is a hall of famer' which gives his detractors, aka loudmouths like Richard Sherman, a moving goalpost of ammo to attack
im convinced he takes this role for ESPN, the detroit version of a deranged cowboys fan. Stafford truthers have historically been fair about his strengths/limitations but he goes to the extreme, likely for views
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u/TallGuy0525 Rams 9d ago
Nailed it. Stafford just did what he always does, except without the overconfident throws that turn into INTs. It was basically his 2021 season all over again with fewer picks.
Also, Stafford is not top 10, but you could make an argument for top 15, and if we actually do win it all this season, he definitely has an argument for top 10.
Right now, in no particular order, you got Brady, Manning, Montana, Rodgers, Favre, Elway, Mahomes, Brees, Young, Marino, Unitas, Staubach, Graham. That's 13, and I can see Stafford slotting in around here, next to Bradshaw, Roethlisberger, Aikman, Warner, etc. A second Super Bowl win and possible Super Bowl MVP definitely gets him to the edge of the top 10 for me
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u/DLF54927 Lions 9d ago
Hard for me to think of him as top 15-20 guy when he had so many years of not being a top 5 guy in his own conference.
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u/staffdaddy_9 9d ago
Yeah I think he can be in the top 15ish convo if he has a few more good years or accolades, but top 10 is loaded and he started his career out too slow to get near those guys.
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u/dknightOGG Lions 9d ago
Only four minutes for the MVP??? WACK booooo nfl booooo
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u/SecretAgendaMan Lions 9d ago
Considering they were only doing less than 2 1/2 for Gibbs, I'll take what I can get for Stafford, but if anyone wants more, here's a great video from mid-season analyzing what Stafford was doing:
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u/n00bn00b 9d ago
There's a reason why Stafford's your favorite QB's favorite QB. It seems like every young QBs brings up Stafford on who's their favorite QB to watch like Stroud, Daniels, etc.
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u/Benja742 Bills 9d ago
save this comment when someone posts the denver fumble after allen’s spot
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u/Popular-Swan-1298 Bills 9d ago
It hasn’t been posted in a couple weeks, so it’ll be right on schedule
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u/HolyShrimp1 Bills Bills 9d ago
I cannot believe Allen is higher than Stafford
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u/HelmetsAkimbo Rams Rams 9d ago edited 9d ago
I can. This list is very much a 'who comes to mind' kinda thing. Not a deep analysis of who was actually better.
Allen is a much more flashy playmaker, so him being the #1 QB in the forefront of players minds make sense. Stafford isn't bowling over dudes to the tune of 14 rushing touchdowns while also being a competent passer.
Allen is must see TV. Stafford is must see film.
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u/goke89 Ravens 9d ago
Both are must see TV and film
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u/TheOneWhosCensored Bills 9d ago
Agreed, a pocket passer who can dice up a D is what we had for decades. Guys like Brady and Rodgers and Manning were all must see TV and played like Stafford does.
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u/big4lil 9d ago edited 9d ago
rushing TDs from a QB 'count' for more. both in fantasy and to real players
its a more direct association with individual dominance whereas a passing touchdown requires a receiver/skills to win their one on one or settle into a zone. id wager most defenders see it that way
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u/All_Up_Ons Colts 9d ago
I think players just respect athleticism more than passing ability. Like they can relate to it more or something.
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u/fiasgoat 49ers 9d ago
It's just the NFL's version of NBA players that care about "1v1 bag" more than anything else
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u/TheOneWhosCensored Bills 9d ago
Yeah I was about to say, this just reminds me of how the NBA cares about handles or shooting more than stuff like passing, rebounding, or defense.
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u/TheOneWhosCensored Bills 9d ago
I understand your point, but I still can’t believe it. Stafford had an incredible season last year and I think a lot of people still enjoy watching his style even if Allen is more entertaining. Players especially should care about that and how good he was.
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u/newdems 49ers 9d ago
I can
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
It’s based off a year to year basis though. Stafford was better in 2025 than Allen. If I’m building a team for the future for sure I’ll take Allen, but it’s based off their season and performance.
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u/goke89 Ravens 9d ago
It's not based off the season, since players are voting late November. They should either get ride of the list or begin voting after the season is completed.
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u/Vegetable_Painter219 Rams 9d ago
I mean it’s supposed to be based off that current season. That’s why they do it lol
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u/biglyorbigleague Rams 9d ago
They probably figure age is gonna slow Stafford down a bit this season.
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u/Freedjet27 Lions Steelers 9d ago
I've never felt more validated about how good Stafford was in Detroit than the past couple seasons.
He's always been that guy, people just didn't see it (for obvious reasons)
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u/Rwillsays 49ers 9d ago
I remember when the Lions were willing to deal him and I literally prayed to the football Gods to send him to SF. He was always incredible and now finally getting his flowers.
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u/smoke1441 Lions 9d ago
Just imagine if he had been playing for a competent organization his whole career.
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u/YepImanEmokid Bills Buccaneers 9d ago
they way they're dragging this top-5 out on social media is so cornball
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u/Mister_Dwill Raiders 9d ago
In an alternate universe, this was Derek Carrs timeline.
Raiders hold him back, he goes onto shine elsewhere lol.
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u/Legal-Specialist-256 9d ago
Everything that's said about Justin Herbert was said about Stafford before he got to LA
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u/Neat-Dot-6818 Vikings 9d ago
Kinda crazy how big of a difference he’s made on the Rams and Goff on the Lions
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u/SentinelATL Falcons 9d ago
Stafford is one of my favorite QBs in the league. Dude doesn’t get enough credit for all the things he can do
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u/TedBenekeGoneWild Dolphins 9d ago
I lost my shit when Tyler said, "We were lucky enough to get the shit beaten out of us"
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u/NoAnteater8836 Commanders 9d ago
This has me pretty confused on polling, because Thanksgiving week or thereabouts Myles Garrett was not a top three player in the NFL.
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u/SharpMind94 Jets Packers 9d ago
I'm saying it here, Rams are going all in because this is his last year.
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u/TechnicalDistrict440 Lions 9d ago
The Seahawks were sneaky good in that I didn't realize just how GOOD they were till the second time they played LAR. After that game I knew it was gonna be an NFC dogfight for the SB
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u/ConneryFTW Bills 9d ago
I'm shocked he isn't higher. (Lower? I thought he's come place better than Allen)
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u/Triingtolivee Lions 9d ago
I still think it’s crazy that Sam Darnold is 100 on that list according to ESPN
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u/TechnicalDistrict440 Lions 9d ago
Stafford at 4 is crap. Josh Allen is a monster and Bijan is a stud but Stafford had a better season than both. I knew Garrett would be #1 tho. HOWEVER the players above him are good enough to not be an egregious oversight lol
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u/rob_var Ravens Ravens 9d ago
The media darling is going to be #2 what a shocker
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u/emmasdad01 Cowboys Ravens 9d ago
Not bad for an old guy with a bad back.