Lamar Jackson in MVP drivers seat after five touchdown performance Monday Night
By Levi Coovert October 22, 2024 08:09
The NFL Season still has more than halfway to go, but Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has put himself in the drivers seat of the MVP discussion after leading the Ravens to a 5-2 start.
Jackson ranks first in passer rating (118), second in total touchdowns (17), second in yards-per-attempt (9.2), fifth in passing yards (1810), seventh in completion percentage (68.2%), eleventh in rushing yards (455), and has thrown only two interceptions.
Those stats put Jackson a head above the rest of the league, as he has dominated both as a passer and runner. Jackson keeps getting better with age. He won his second NFL MVP award last year and has to be considered the favorite after dismantling the Tampa Bay defense on Monday Night.
Jackson tossed five passing touchdowns against Tampa Bay, bringing his season total to 15 TD passes. Only Bucs’ QB Baker Mayfield has more (18), but Mayfield has also thrown seven interceptions compared to Jackson’s two.
Patrick Mahomes is the only QB with more wins than Jackson, as he has led the Chiefs to a 6-0 start, making Mahomes the biggest threat to a third Jackson MVP award. However, Mahomes’ passing stats have been quite pedestrian to start the season. He has thrown for over 400 fewer yards and has only thrown six touchdown passes compared to a league-leading eight interceptions. His passer rating of 82.5 is now 35.5 points lower than Jackson.
Some voters may be hesitant to hand the award to Jackson in back-to-back seasons, but if recent history tells us anything, it’s that as long as Jackson keeps this up, it will not matter. While it is true that MVP voters like to spread the wealth and vote for new players, Aaron Rodgers won back-to-back MVP awards as recently as 2020 and 2021. So it’s clear that the voters are not totally unwilling to give Jackson a repeat award, as long as he is absolutely deserving of it.
A third MVP award would all but guarantee Jackson to be a Hall of Famer. He is on track to be the greatest running QB of all time, and he is among the league's most dynamic players. Even with only two playoff wins, Jackson is on his way to becoming an all-time great.
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