In only his second season, Lamar Jackson has taken the Baltimore Ravens from a fringe playoff team to a potential title contender and is now an MVP candidate.
Lamar Jackson has received an unjust level of criticism since being drafted in 2018. Many called for a position change and harped on the mythical notion that he cannot throw.
Time after time, he has proved them wrong.
Now, after knocking off the Seattle Seahawks and MVP favorite Russell Wilson in their own stadium, America will be tuning in weekly to see Jackson carry the Ravens closer to title contender territory as he makes his case for NFL MVP.
You don’t think he’s worthy of MVP?
Through seven games, Jackson’s 1,650 passing yards rank 16th among quarterbacks. Just 93 yards shy of Tom Brady. Ever heard of him? 16 is average, I know, but that’s not his only contribution to the league’s second ranked offense. Jackson’s 576 rushing yards are just 26 yards shy of Ezekiel Elliott. Maybe, you’ve heard of him. Jackson has done so on 52 less attempts.
In Cam Newton’s 2015 MVP campaign, it took 3,837 yards and 35 touchdowns through the air on a 59.8 completion percentage along with 636 yards and 10 touchdowns on 132 attempts on the ground to win him the award. This was considered a top-five QB performance of all-time.
Lamar Jackson is on pace to eclipse both Newton’s passing and rushing yards, according to BaltimoreRavens.com.
If that’s not enough, maybe Brian Baldinger can convince you.
":”There truly are not enough adjectives to describe Jackson’s play. To name a few, he’s: electric, explosive, dynamic, unbelievable, unstoppable, ridiculous. He’s a bona fide playmaker, a winner and basically a cheat code.”"
We’ve all seen Jackson juke and jive and make professional athletes look foolish trying to bring him down. He’s unstoppable, his highlight reel from Sunday’s win in Seattle speaks to that.
But what it cannot speak to is his refusal to become complacent, his determination or passion for winning. What it cannot speak to is the boost his emotions give this team. What it cannot speak to is this:
"Hell yeah, Coach. Let's go for it!" @Lj_era8 pic.twitter.com/n7WMAQqoID
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) October 21, 2019
A delay-of-game penalty brought a small tantrum out of Jackson but that anger lit a fire under the entire team. His outburst made an impact on both sides of the ball. It was the difference between a win and a loss, and can be the difference between mediocrity and greatness.
Rarely are quarterbacks consulted on crucial coaching decisions, much less one that is 22-years-old. Not only was he able to convince John Harbaugh to pull Justin Tucker and a sure-fire three points off the field, the gamble paid off. Even better is that the Seahawks knew what was coming, and still couldn’t stop it.
In just 14 regular season starts, Jackson has earned not only the trust and respect of his coaches, he’s earned the same of his players. Jackson’s ability to put the team on his back and win football games—and do so at a young age—separates him not just from the four quarterbacks taken ahead of him in 2018, but from most starters in the league.
All season long, pundits have been begging Baltimore for a quality win and nit-picking Lamar Jackson’s few faults. Watching them beat a top-tier team with a winning record on the road, and on the back of Jackson’s electrifying performance, was as refreshing as it was inspiring. And it should silence any doubters.
For those wanting to point at his completion percentage Sunday, I would point straight back at the slew of dropped passes.
We have seen Harbaugh place votes of confidence in Lamar’s ability to win football games multiple times. These have been unmistakably critical in his evolution into a budding superstar.
For the second season in a row, the Baltimore Ravens are in the catbird seat of the AFC North and Lamar Jackson is directly responsible. With nine more opportunities to run and gun and break every ankle in his path, Jackson and the Ravens could be catbirds of the entire AFC. While the Ravens have undoubtedly found their MVP half way through the season in their franchise QB, Jackson could very well find himself chosen as the league’s MVP when the season ends.