The entire NFL world was hit with a Myles Garrett-sized shock wave after the reigning DPOY was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on Monday. Without a doubt, the Baltimore Ravens are one of the teams most closely affected by this move. Garrett terrorized the Ravens and Lamar Jackson in their two annual meetings.
While the Ravens won both games against the Cleveland Browns last year, Garrett recorded an absurd 5.5 sacks, including four sacks in their Week 11 showdown. Last year, Garrett set the NFL record for most sacks in a single season with 23. There's no harder pass-rusher to plan for the entire league; he can beat double teams at will and relentlessly pressures the quarterback.
It's safe to say that all of Ravens Nation is happy to have him out of the division (and conference for that matter). There's no denying that Lamar is the biggest beneficiary of this move, though, and it could help set up a third MVP.
Lamar Jackson's chances of winning his third MVP just got a boost after the Myles Garrett trade
Ravens fans were already hopeful that Jackson would have an MVP season with Declan Doyle's system set to maximize his skill set and an upgraded guard room. Frankly, if Lamar is healthy, he's always in the MVP conversation. Now, though, his MVP chances are clearly increased with Garrett out of the division.
I understand that this might sound a bit far-fetched, but in a 17-game season, a couple of bad games could hurt someone's MVP status. Conversely, a few especially strong games could bolster it. Additionally, Garrett has always (understandably) given Jackson trouble. In his career, Lamar has been sacked by Garrett 12 times and has lost 83 total yards.
Now, the Browns did get back Jared Verse, a fantastic young pass rusher, but with all due respect, he's on a different level than Garrett (everyone is). The Ravens' two games against the Browns certainly got much easier after this trade.
For Lamar, in particular, he will have far more time to operate in the pocket, and he could, in turn, put together some massive games against the Browns.
Having two far more manageable divisional games should lead to some big-time performances for Jackson, and in the end, this could be the difference for his MVP candidacy.
Both Jackson and the Ravens are laser-focused on the Super Bowl. He's already won two MVPs; it's time to win at the highest level. Regardless, a third MVP would put Jackson in historic company as he'd be just the seventh player to accomplish this, and it would be an awesome individual honor.
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