The Bill Simmons Podcast Maye Vs. Stafford, Week 18 Picks & the 21 Best 21st Century Sports Movies With Peter Schrager, Joe House, and Sean Fennessey
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Jan 2, 2026 
Peter Schrager, an NFL insider, joins sports journalist Joe House to dive into the NFL MVP race, discussing how narratives shape voting over pure stats. They also debate the impact of playoff seeding on awards. Sean Fennessey, a film critic, makes a splash as they rank the 21 best sports movies of the 21st century. Expect lively discussions on noteworthy omissions and defining films like Moneyball and Creed, blending sports analysis with cinematic insights.
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MVP Voting Is Narrative, Not Purely Statistical
- NFL MVP voting is narrative-driven and performed by media voters, not a strict stats algorithm.
- That makes strength-of-schedule and headline moments weigh heavily in outcomes.
Meeting Matt Ryan, The 'Former MVP'
- Peter Schrager recounts meeting Matt Ryan at the Rams hotel with his son and identifying Ryan as a former MVP, not by his Super Bowl loss.
- The moment highlights how MVPs define legacy in fans' minds.
Ballot Structure Can Flip Winners
- MVP ballots weight places one-to-five with different points, so consensus seconds can outscore split first-place votes.
- That makes vote totals and ballot distribution as important as first-place tallies.