For Lamar Jackson, a second MVP would place him in exclusive company: He is a tremendous success.
Lamar Jackson led the NFL in touchdown passes, broke records for rushing yards, and oversaw the highest-scoring offense this season, but he didn’t stand out as a candidate for Most Valuable Player. In 2019, he accomplished all of those objectives and earned the NFL’s second-ever unanimous MVP.
As he did in 2019 with the spin move and run to the end zone in Cincinnati or the five touchdown passes in Los Angeles, Jackson may not have had his MVP moment this season.
This season, Jackson did demonstrate once again why he is the league’s most crucial player for the success of his team.
No quarterback has ever been expected to perform more for his club than Hall of Fame quarterback and ESPN analyst Troy Aikman, who made this statement prior to a Baltimore Ravens broadcast this past season.
2023 saw Jackson give birth. He demonstrated his development as a leader, passer, and decision-maker despite adjusting to a brand-new system under first-year Ravens coordinator Todd Monken. He continued to be a healthy and formidable dual-threat quarterback.
This season, Lamar Jackson continued to show off his explosive rushing skills while setting new career highs through the air. (Getty Images / Scott Taetsch)
Every week, Jackson was the greatest player on the field as clubs attempted to make a run for the playoffs in November and December. On their way to a 13-4 regular season and being the top seed in the AFC, Baltimore outperformed one elite team and MVP contender after another.
It’s not his fault. Nelson Agholor, a veteran wide receiver with the Ravens, stated, It’s been about the result. That is what he thinks about. In this league, a true MVP is someone who wants to see his team succeed through player execution, leadership, or statistics, whatever it takes. You wish for that.
Jackson, 27, is the front-runner to win the 2023 MVP award in the league at Thursday night’s NFL Honors gala in Las Vegas.
With 45 of the 50 first-place votes cast, he was already selected as the starting quarterback for the All-Pro team. Additionally, the Pro Football Writers of America named him the 2023 MVP.
He would only become the 11th player in NFL history to win the MVP title more than once if he were to be selected as the Associated Press MVP. In addition to Peyton Manning, he would be surrounded by Kurt Warner, Joe Montana, Steve Young, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Brett Favre, and Johnny Unitas.
But for Jackson, who imagined himself playing in Super Bowl LVIII in Las Vegas with the Ravens, it would probably be bittersweet. However, in the AFC Championship Game, Baltimore fell short against the Kansas City Chiefs, 17-10.
Jackson had a difficult week, ruining what would have been a fantastic week for the quarterback and the team. His postseason performance during his career raised greater concerns.
But the NFL Honors aren’t a celebration of winning in the postseason. It’s a recognition of excellence in the regular season, and Jackson deserved it after a standout four months in which he set career highs in passing yards (3.678) and completion percentage (67.2%), totaled 29 touchdowns and 821 rushing yards, and routinely confused defenses set up to stop him.
“In the National Football League, a game is not considered successful until it is a Super Bowl winner, unless you fail to qualify for the playoffs.
Last week, Ravens coach John Harbaugh stated, “You have to comprehend it.” Whoa, is it a success (or a disaster) when you lose the final game, especially a home AFC Championship game, which is really uncommon and difficult to get to?
Lamar Jackson is a hugely successful person. He’s had incredible success playing football. His achievements as a leader, a family man, and a human are extraordinary.
Nobody is better in this league, in my opinion, especially not for the Baltimore Ravens, this organization, and this city.
Jackson might not be as obvious an MVP candidate as he was in 2019. If he were selected by a unanimous vote this year, that would be somewhat unexpected.
You might argue for quarterback Josh Allen of the Buffalo Bills, wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Miami Dolphins, quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers, and quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys.
A subset of NFL analysts and fans—former NFL cornerback and Amazon broadcaster Richard Sherman being the most outspoken on this front—think Jackson’s stats don’t match those of an MVP winner.
He was behind Purdy, Prescott, and Allen in quarterback rating, although he was tied for 11th in throwing touchdowns, eighth in completion percentage, and 15th in passing yards.
However, statistics don’t really capture Jackson’s genius. It never was. His influence on every game he plays, the pressure he exerts on opposing defenses, and the degree to which he uplifts the players around him are examples of it.
Running back Gus Edwards of the Ravens scored 13 rushing touchdowns, a career high. Eleven were at a distance of no more than three yards.
Would Jackson be more MVP-deserving, in the eyes of the doubters, if he had scored more touchdowns on short runs or thrown more passes from inside the 5-yard line? If Jackson hadn’t been substituted out of a few games early or forced to stop attacking and pass the ball off when the Ravens had a sizable lead, how much different would the figures look? Following all, Baltimore won 13 games, eight of those by a margin of at least 14 points.
That’s a testament to Jackson, not a cause for complaint. Jackson was quick to adjust to Monken’s strategy, which was intended to be more balanced, present a variety of challenges to defenses, and give the quarterback greater responsibility at the line of scrimmage.
Todd Monken is infusing the Ravens’ offense with enthusiasm and tremendous intensity.
When we played in London, we spoke with Coach Harbaugh about the reasons behind the offensive coordinator switch.
According to Warner, an NFL Network analyst, the real goal was to utilize Lamar to the greatest extent possible. The best thing has been that. Over the years, there have been those quarterbacks who were more athletes than passers, and they were never truly able to be that passer.
However, over the first few years, there have been hints that “I think this man has a shot to be as excellent as we’ve ever seen at the mix of both.” It was challenging to demonstrate that, given the structure of their offense.
The plan for this year was to capitalize on Lamar’s talents, but let’s do it with all of them and see if he can be that man. I’ve observed a lot of similar things this year. He has demonstrated to me that he is that guy.
One of the best teams in the NFC, the Detroit Lions, were destroyed by Jackson in Week 7. He threw for 357 yards and three touchdowns and ran for 36 yards and another score.
Jackson did neither pass nor run for a touchdown in the Ravens’ two-week matchup against NFC West-leading Seattle; however, the Seahawks were unable to stop the quarterback-driven run game. Jackson’s turbulent December, when he emerged as the front-runner for MVP, was set in motion by those two performances. He led Baltimore’s must-have drive and completed 316 yards and three touchdowns in the team’s overtime triumph over the Los Angeles Rams.
He also ran for 70 yards. He scored 97 yards on the ground in a victory in Jacksonville the next week.
Jackson outplayed an error-prone Purdy and the 49ers in a Christmas Eve matchup between the top two teams in the league and three MVP contenders, amassing 297 yards of offense and two touchdowns in a comfortable Ravens victory.
Then, he finished his regular season with a perfect 158.3 quarterback rating, five touchdowns, and 321 passing yards against the Miami Dolphins. MVP chants accompanied him throughout the entire game.
Wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. of the Ravens commented, I have never seen anyone so locked in and just in their flow and in their era.
This season, Jackson seemed different, whether he liked to admit it or not. The strain of negotiating a historic contract extension appeared to have lifted off of him, as did the need to provide an answer to inquiries regarding his future in Baltimore. In April of last year, the Ravens inked him to a $260 million, five-year contract extension.
Play calling and game preparation were more actively involved, and he appeared to be more content with the offense’s trajectory. In an attempt to lead his team to a Super Bowl, he seemed more at ease in his leadership role and more committed and dedicated than ever.
Lamar Jackson is driven and focused on the goal: “I need to win a championship right now.”
The Ravens lost by one game, and Jackson was unable to dispel the rumor that he had trouble in the postseason. He responded to almost all other queries in 2023, save for that.
An additional MVP trophy would confirm that.We all know that Lamar is the best player in this league, despite the many people who want him to fail, according to Ravens standout safety Kyle Hamilton. It’s a pleasure to have him on board.
