How good can you play a football game in the NFL? Maybe, just maybe, Lamar Jackson has the answer as he looks like the main candidate to hoist the MVP Award he already won in 2019 when all is said and done next January.
Jackson has started the season by leading the new, refurbished Ravens offense to an impeccable 2-0 record that has Baltimore looking like a postseason team already.
Lamar dealt easily with Houston in Week 1 and then conquered Cincinnati last Sunday. The best of all? Jackson and the Ravens offense as a whole are just getting started with new Offensive Coordinator Todd Monken in charge for just a couple of matchups.
All of the above has put everybody on notice already, and pundits and former players across the United States have lost no time in giving Lamar his (early) flowers.
Kevin Eck of BaltimoreRavens.com curated a very delicious list of personalities showing their love to Lamar on Tuesday, and here are some of those golden nuggets.
"Lamar was the best offensive player we saw Sunday. He was awesome, and that was one of those you really had to watch the game. It was just one of those Lamar games. If you just see the box score you're like, 'Oh, Lamar had a good game.' But he had complete command over that game."Bill Simmons, The Ringer
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— Bill Simmons (@BillSimmons) September 18, 2023
"[Jackson] looked unbelievable. That ball he dropped into Zay [Flowers] in between two guys was beautiful. He did run. He made some people miss. He still has that. But what his arm was able to do [Sunday] was what made us all go, 'OK, the Ravens are gonna be a team.'"Pat McAfee, The Pat McAfee Show
Lamar Jackson looked UNBELIEVABLE#PMSLive #RavensFlock pic.twitter.com/9qyNedYjUt
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) September 18, 2023
"Lamar Jackson is showing his MVP form. That throw to Zay Flowers was unbelievable. You always talk about Lamar being known for being mobile and running the ball. They were talking about him being a running back. I ain't never seen a running back throw it like that."CB Richard Sherman, FOX Sports
“Ravens showed me they can win ugly and Lamar Jackson is showing his MVP form. They’re starting to look like the old Baltimore Ravens.”
— UNDISPUTED (@undisputed) September 18, 2023
— @RSherman_25 pic.twitter.com/e3ZQySo0ne
"This is the version of Lamar Jackson we've been waiting to see. He came into the league in 2018, took the league by storm running around. Every time he took off it was electric. Watching him stand in the pocket and just make throws, if you're a Ravens fan this has to have you fired up. The best part about it is that he's making these throws but we still see those glimpses of Lamar being Lamar."Jason McCourty, Good Morning Football
"This offense under Todd Monken is finally starting to take shape, and we see the direction they're going in."
— Good Morning Football (@gmfb) September 18, 2023
(up.)@JasonMcCourty on the 2-0 @Ravens pic.twitter.com/LeicpVSBdx
Two games into the 2023 NFL regular season, Lamar Jackson has the eight-best grade on Pro Football Focus with a 76.4 figure.
Lamar has completed 41 passes for 406 yards and a ridiculous 10th-best average of 7.4 yards per attempt. Only Josh Allen (76.9%) has completed passes at a higher rate than Jackson (74.6%) through Week 2.
If everything stays the same (and the truth is that there are weekly signs of an steady improvement) then you can start piencilling Lamar in for his second MVP.