Jessie Bates III provided the nail in the coffin to Matthew Stafford's MVP hopes

Matt Stafford went into Week 17 cruising to his first MVP in his long career. However, the Atlanta Falcons had something to say about that as they smacked him right in the face.

In the first half, they picked the former Georgia Bulldog quarterback twice, with one going for a pick-six. In the second half, rookie safety Xavier Watts made another play on fourth down, picking him off for a second time, nearly taking it for a touchdown.

Those three interceptions may have ultimately dashed his hopes of winning MVP after Patriots quarterback Drake Maye's five-touchdown, two-incompletion performance against the Jets.

And to add to that, Stafford's early pick-six exposed a harsh truth that has lingered throughout his NFL career.

Matt Stafford's pick-six issues continued against Jessie Bates III

Stafford tied Brett Favre for the most pick-sixes in NFL history with 32, something he surely isn't happy about. When you dig into things, there is another aspect that makes that stat look even worse: Stafford has played in 66 fewer games.

This means the Rams quarterback has averaged a pick-six every 7.4 games, compared to Favre's 9.4. To put it bluntly, that is a massive issue. We know Stafford is an all-time great quarterback, but handing the opposing team a touchdown over twice a season is abysmal.

As good as the 37-year-old has been this season, the Falcons' pressure gave him trouble. Jeff Ulbrich's defense blitzed or simulated pressure on 14 of Stafford's 17 pass attempts in the first half, which led to him completing just 50% of his passes and Bates housing one of said pass attempts.

You do have to preface things by saying Stafford had to deal with the Detroit Lions' ineptitude for over a decade. Certainly, playing for those teams will not help anything. And, his INT% is significantly lower than Favre's.

But his latest, record-tying one may steal an MVP award right from his grasp. While Maye has significantly fewer touchdowns, the two are now right neck-and-neck in interceptions, and Maye has more wins. Not to mention, Maye has helped turn a bad team into a great one in just one season, which is impressive for a QB as young as he is.

Even though there isn't a playoff berth on the line for either the Rams or the Patriots in Week 18, the quarterback who plays better in the regular season finale could be the one who ends up with the trophy in their hands before the Super Bowl. But maybe the Pats rest Maye.

It will be interesting to see how Falcons fans see things; do they hope the former Bulldogs quarterback adds to his accolades, or do they hope his best friend, Matt Ryan, will always have those bragging rights?