Lamar Jackson is in the lead in the MVP Awards competition.
Lamar Jackson has unquestionably been a player of MVP level this season.
Jackson has guided the Ravens to a 13-4 record and the No. 1 seed in the AFC by playing remarkably well both on the ground and in passing plays.
During the regular season, Jackson passed for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, and seven interceptions.
He concluded as Baltimore’s top rusher for the season with 821 yards and five touchdowns gained on the ground.
J.K. Dobbins (torn Achilles) and Keaton Mitchell (torn ACL) are two of Baltimore’s top backs, therefore the team never had a real starter at running back this season.
The skill in the backfield dwindled during the season, thus Jackson’s ability to run the ball effectively was all the more remarkable in light of these absences.
renowned tight end In week eleven, Mark Andrews also suffered an ankle injury that prevented him from playing for the remainder of the regular season.
This year during the regular season, Jackson placed 15th in terms of total throwing and 22nd in terms of total running.
Jackson only threw seven interceptions and finished with an average QBR of 64.6 (fourth overall), despite his throwing yards being in the center of the NFL.
Jackson finished 164 yards ahead of the next quarterback, Chicago Bears quarterback Justin Fields, and led all quarterbacks in rushing.
Most media sources appear to believe that Jackson’s MVP case is clear-cut, but some don’t.
The Fox Sports radio host Monse Bolaños offered an intriguing perspective on Jackson’s style of play.
Bolaños declared, “I want my quarterbacks to be quarterbacky.”Lamar Jackson is just a terrific athlete in my opinion, and he performed admirably against the 49ers.
Momentary prisoners. He isn’t the star player. The MVP is Christian McCaffrey.
Although Bolaños is free to express her thoughts and later issued an apology, the phrases “athlete” and “quarterbacky” seemed to imply something different.
The underlying theme of the remarks is focused on Jackson’s race and appearance rather than his performance on the field.
The antiquated notion that African-American quarterbacks are purely athletes and incapable of throwing the ball appears to be the source of these remarks.
A quarterback’s main duties in the NFL are to win games, throw the ball inside the playbook, and run efficiently when it’s feasible.
With a 58-19 career record, Jackson has achieved success year after year. In addition, he led all quarterbacks in rushing this season, threw the ball well, and led the Ravens to the top rank in the AFC.
If these numbers don’t show that Jackson is “quarterbacky” enough, I’m not sure what would.
It is ridiculous to think of Jackson as just an athlete.
Christian McCaffrey of the San Francisco 49ers had a fantastic season.
McCaffrey led the league in rush yards (1,459 yards), but if you take
They could still compete if 49ers quarterback McCaffrey was still there.
Conversely, if Jackson was cut, the Raven offense would implode.
They wouldn’t be contenders this season without him, if the time he missed due to injury the previous two seasons is any indication.
Ultimately, statistical arguments are always welcome, but the conclusion is in:
It’s a fact that Lamar Jackson can throw a football accurately.
On Thursday, February 8, at 9 p.m. E.T., at the Resorts World Theatre in Las Vegas, the NFL honors presentation will reveal the 2023–24 NFL MVP.
The NFL Honors will be streamed onParamount+ and ESPN+, and televised on CBS and the NFL Network.
This Saturday at M&T Bank Stadium, Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens will take on the Houston Texans in a divisional-round playoff game. Kickoff is at 4:30 p.m. E.T.
ESPN+ will stream the game, and ABC will televise it.
