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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has done special things this season. It’s earned him MVP chants that continue to grow with each week. Now, after throwing for four touchdowns against the Houston Texans in Week 11, Jackson is getting the same type of love from at least one oddsmaker.
According to ESPN’s Ben Fawkes, Caesars Sportsbook now has Jackson as its front-runner for the 2019 NFL MVP award. He’s ahead of other candidates like Russell Wilson, Aaron Rodgers and Patrick Mahomes — and for good reason.
Through 10 games, Jackson has completed 66.3% of his passes for 2,258 yards, 19 touchdowns and just five interceptions. His 106.3 passer rating ranks fourth in the league behind Wilson, Kirk Cousins and Mahomes. Jackson holds the second-highest TD%, throwing for a score on 6.8% of his attempts. He has two games with a perfect 158.3 passer rating this season alone.
But Jackson is not a traditional quarterback. He has rushed for 788 yards and six touchdowns so far this season. His 78.8 yards-per-game and six rushing touchdowns rank 10th in the entire NFL, and he holds the highest rushing yards per attempt in the league.
While the stats are certainly there for Jackson to claim the NFL’s MVP award, quite a lot of the award also goes with publicity. Jackson doesn’t disappoint in that regard either, having left a lot of former opponents in awe this season after he was done with them. His latest, Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson — an MVP candidate himself — gave the Ravens quarterback some MVP love following the game.
Jackson has been a highlight reel every single week thanks to both his legs and arm. What’s crazy is that he’s continuing to improve with each week as well. If voters don’t agree, Ravens running back Mark Ingram has some words for them.
But seriously, Jackson has earned the right to be considered the front-runner for the MVP award in 2019. If he keeps up this pace for the final six games, he seems destined to win it.
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