As if it wasn’t already obvious, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is the best player on the team. For the second season in a row, Jackson has earned the team’s MVP award.
The award, given by the Baltimore chapter of the Profession Football Writers of America might not have the same standing as the league MVP, which Jackson earned last season. But in some ways, it should mean a little more since it’s handed out by local media that covers the team daily.
In Jackson’s 14 starts this season he has completed 64.8% of his passes for 2,644 yards, 23 touchdowns, and eight interceptions. Jackson has also rushed for 908 yards and seven touchdowns on 148 carries, passing Jim Harbaugh for 13th on the all-time rushing yards by a quarterback list. Jackson could also move past Kordell Stewart for 12th all-time, needing just 66-yards in Week 17 against the Cincinnati Bengals to do so.
Though Jackson was likely going to win the award regardless of how well others on the team played this season, his Week 12 absence due to COVID-19 only highlighted his importance to the offense and the entire team. While that’s no slight of backup quarterback Robert Griffin III, Jackson is clearly the most athletic and impressive player on the field every time he steps onto the turf. And had Jackson played in Week 12, what was a narrow defeat at the hands of the Pittsburgh Steelers could have been a win, which could have seen the team playing for the division crown in Week 17 instead of a Wild Card spot in the AFC playoff picture.
Jackson was named the NFL MVP in 2019, where he shattered Michael Vick’s record for most rushing yards by a quarterback in a single-season, helped the Ravens finish with a franchise team record of 14-2, and led the Ravens to a No. 1 seed for the first time in franchise history. The last player to win back-to-back Ravens MVP awards was Ray Rice in 2011 and 2012.
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