There’s no denying it. Lamar Jackson is one of the most talented quarterbacks ever to play and someone who stands out as one of the finer signal-callers of his generation. A unanimous MVP trophy, two Pro Bowl selections, and a status as an impeccable dual threat should speak for themselves. The operative word there is “should.”
As it turns out, Jackson’s unique ability to stress defenses with his legs is something we’ve literally never seen before. (Also, he has quality taste in rugs.)
Jackson achieved the remarkable during the Baltimore Ravens’ 20-10 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday night. With 39 rushing yards, he officially became the fastest player in NFL history to record 5,000 career rushing yards. He beat names like Russell Wilson, Cam Newton, and Michael Vick to the punch with considerably fewer carries. Jackson, for all intents and purposes, is a football unicorn.
When asked about achieving the unique feat in his postgame press conference, you could tell it wasn’t something Jackson concerned himself with. His casual one-word response is precisely why he’s so special:
https://t.co/18iqA8PNRV pic.twitter.com/fnLzQPpmk9
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) November 27, 2023
There’s still a lot to parse through the rest of this NFL season. But for the time being, Baltimore is the only nine-win team in the AFC, and Jackson, while his traditional numbers don’t say it perfectly, is a prime MVP candidate. Those are two aspects of his game that I would be willing to bet Jackson cares a lot more about — adding another individual trophy to his mantel and bringing a Super Bowl back to the Ravens and their storied tradition.