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Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
BALTIMORE — When Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson runs out of the tunnel or makes a big play, “MVP” chants fill M&T Bank Stadium, just like when he won the award in 2019 and 2023.
But, unlike those years, Jackson is not the overwhelming favorite to win the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award heading into the final game of the regular season. In a much-debated race, he has the second-best odds behind Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, according to ESPN BET.
Saturday’s finale against the Cleveland Browns (4:30 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN) represents Jackson’s last chance to show why he should receive his third MVP. Like the many times he has eluded a fast-closing defender before throwing a touchdown pass, Jackson has made a career at beating the odds.
“As far as I’m concerned, he’s our MVP, [and] he’s our guy,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “But you know what? That’s really not what we’re thinking about. I haven’t heard anybody talk about that. I haven’t heard Lamar talk about it. We’re just trying to win the next game.”
I’m not a math genius but one guy seems to be leading in all categories except QB sneaks https://t.co/ilrObZXQAc
— Charlie Kolar (@charliekolar_) December 30, 2024
Allen and the Bills (13-3) have locked up the No. 2 seed heading into Week 18, and with a win over the Browns (3-13), Baltimore (11-5) can win the AFC North, secure the conference’s No. 3 seed and host a wild-card game. Jackson can also put the finishing touches on one of the most remarkable regular seasons ever for a quarterback, which included surpassing Michael Vick as the NFL’s all-time leading rushing quarterback on Christmas Day.
Jackson’s best statistical season of his seven-year career includes ranking No. 1 in the NFL in four different categories: QBR (78.0), yards per pass attempt (8.9), touchdown pass percentage (8.8%) and passing touchdown-to-interception ratio (9.8).
Here are some of the unprecedented feats that Jackson can still accomplish:
– With 3,955 passing yards, Jackson needs 45 yards to become the first player in NFL history with over 4,000 passing yards and 800 rushing yards in a single season.
– With one more touchdown pass (39) and no interceptions, Jackson can record the fewest interceptions (four) by a player who has thrown for 40 or more touchdown passes in a season.
– With a passer rating of 121.6, Jackson could finish with the best single-season passer rating in NFL history, which was set by New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers in 2011 (122.5 rating).
“This is the MVP of the National Football League, yet again, and it’s the best version of the MVP,” Ravens quarterbacks coach Tee Martin said. “And so to me, as opposed to trying to knock him or say voter fatigue or whatever people are trying to call this, we need to be awarding the growth and making note of it. Because what we’re all witnessing is the growth of a player that is not even 30 years old yet. And so that’s amazing to me.”
HEADING INTO THE Christmas game against the Ravens, Houston Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said Jackson “definitely jumps off the tape as the best player I’ve seen this year.”
“Talk about the MVP? He’s definitely the MVP in my mind for what he’s doing not only run game-wise, but throwing the football, the accuracy, the decision-making,” Ryans said.
Ryans got an up-close look at Jackson in the Texans’ 31-2 loss to the Ravens. In the second quarter, Jackson rolled to his right before faking out four-time Pro Bowl defensive end Danielle Hunter along the sideline. Before throwing, Jackson scrambled around to buy 8.4 seconds, his second-longest time to throw on a touchdown this season.
Perhaps more impressive was how Jackson turned his back and threw up his hands in celebration before the pass reached tight end Isaiah Likely for a 9-yard touchdown.
CHRISTMAS MAGIC FROM LAMAR. #NFLonNetflix#BALvsHOU on @Netflix pic.twitter.com/vApzXuZZoh
— NFL (@NFL) December 25, 2024
“I get to see Lamar every day [and] the things he’s able to do, and then carrying it over to the game,” Ravens center Tyler Linderbaum said. “He’s just a special player. He’s extremely fun to play with — just the things he’s able to do — and think there’s no one more deserving of that [MVP] award than Lamar Jackson.”
Jackson would be the seventh player to win NFL MVP three times since it was first awarded in 1957, joining quarterbacks Rodgers, Peyton Manning, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre and Tom Brady and running back Jim Brown. When the MVP is unveiled on Feb. 6, Jackson would be the youngest to win this award three times at the age of 28.
“If it [does] happen, it happens, [and] that’d be dope,” Jackson said. “I’m not really focused on that. That’s never been my goal though. Even [with] the first or second one, [winning MVP has] never been my goal. I always want to finish with the championship, but I’ve been falling short.”
When Jackson has remained healthy, his MVP resume is extraordinary. He has started and finished three previous seasons — 2019, 2020 and 2023 — and he has been named the MVP in two of them.
Jackson has tried to distance himself from the conversations on social media about MVP.
“You can talk about it all you want, but you want to tag me to get like clickbait,” Jackson said. “Because sometimes I [will] say something back like, ‘That was stupid.’ It is what it is. I don’t care though. I really don’t care about the talk [and] the [conversations]. I’m trying to win.”
JACKSON’S IMPROVEMENT AS a passer is the crux of his MVP case. He’s on the verge of his first 4,000-yard passing season and first 40-touchdown pass year.
But this was also a year in which he became the most prolific running quarterback in NFL history.
No one was less surprised than Vick when Jackson broke his 13-year record against the Texans. In 2018, after watching Jackson make two starts, Vick told ESPN that he thought Jackson would have the best shot to surpass him.
Jackson moved past Vick with his 6,110th rushing yard in 102 games — 41 fewer than what it took Vick to amass his total. Vick acknowledged Jackson breaking the record on Fox’s pregame show, saying, “I won’t say it didn’t sting a little bit, but he deserved it.”
Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Russell Wilson, who is fourth on the career rushing list for quarterbacks, was asked whether the record solidified Jackson as the best dual-threat QB ever.
“I mean, that’s a pretty good question,” Wilson said. “I think he’s definitely one of them for sure. When you think about the greats like Michael Vick, he was the one that just really just lit up a whole stadium. But I think that guys like Lamar [and] Michael Vick, those guys are unique individuals in what [they] can do. So I couldn’t disagree with it. That’s for sure.”
John Harbaugh congratulating Lamar for breaking Michael Vick’s record for the most rushing yards by a QB in NFL history ❤️ pic.twitter.com/y5SHqpLbVk
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 26, 2024
Other than Jackson, Wilson is the only active quarterback who has rushed for over 5,000 yards, with 5,446. Allen is third among active quarterbacks with 4,142 yards.
Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, who has coached against Vick and Jackson, believes a quarterback will eventually pass Jackson on the rushing list.
“There’s a premium on quarterbacks that can throw and read coverage and accuracy and all that, but along with that, if a guy can move, then that’s extra,” Zimmer said. “It’s kind of like — this is real old-school — but a variation of the wishbone kind of what they’re doing now with the quarterback runs, but they can throw the ball a lot better. Yeah, I’m sure somebody will come along and be like these two guys, but they’re rare athletes.”
With the way Jackson has been able to run in his seventh season, it wouldn’t be shocking if he adds 3,000 or 4,000 more rushing yards before his career is over.
But Jackson doesn’t believe he will be the league’s No. 1 rushing quarterback forever.
“If it [does get broken], hats off to whoever does it, because records are meant to be broken,” Jackson said. “It’s nothing to be mad about. It’s just another one-of-one type of generational talented guy, I believe, if it happens.”
NFL Nation reporters Todd Archer and Brooke Pryor contributed to this report.