Who should win NFL MVP?

The GIST: Comedian Amy Poehler once said of award shows, “When they get it right, it makes sense” — but that’s much easier said than done. Look no further than the NFL MVP award after this year’s five finalists were announced yesterday.

• The regular-season honor will likely go to one of two quarterbacks: LA Ram Matthew Stafford or New England Patriot Drake Maye, and both have compelling cases to win their first career MVP.

🐏 The case for Stafford: It’s all about the touchdowns (TDs), baby. Stafford led the league with an impressive 46 TDs this season, eight more than the next-closest signal caller. The 37-year-old also threw for the most yards this season (a whopping 4,707) while competing in the juggernaut NFC West. Quite the résumé.

❤️ The case for Maye: The second-year QB was the most accurate passer in the NFL this season by a long shot. But the real jaw-dropper? His ability to throw the deep ball: He completed a league-leading 22 passes of 20 air yards or more and averaged an NFL–best 8.9 yards per attempt. Even more intriguing is that Maye did it all without a superstar wide receiver.

🏆 MVP will be named on February 5th: Both candidates are in action this weekend, but postseason play doesn’t count toward their MVP campaigns. So while they contend for a Super Bowl berth, circle next month’s NFL Honors on your cal as we await the final MVP verdict.