Why Lamar Jackson still deserves MVP consideration | Sporting News

One consequence of the Baltimore Ravens’ recent skid (two losses in the last three games) is that Lamar Jackson is no longer the favorite to win NFL MVP honors.

Yet regardless of his team’s slump, there’s an argument that Jackson is still having the most MVP-worthy season.

Following Week 13, Jackson is second in the NFL in passing yards, second in TDs and leads the field in passer rating. That’s not even including his rushing numbers, where Jackson unsurprisingly leads all QBs in yards with 678. 

Meanwhile, Josh Allen — who has surpassed Jackson as the betting favorite — is not exactly having a statistical season that screams MVP. He’s 10th in passer rating, 15th in passing yards per game (Jackson, who has played one more game than Allen, is fifth) and tied for sixth in passing touchdowns.

Allen’s numbers do improve when you account for rushing scores, which he has six of, and he also technically has a receiving score from a pitch play against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night. Even still, that only puts him fourth among QBs in total touchdowns, while Jackson, adding his own three rushes into the end zone, rises to the league lead.

So, what gives? A number of biases are in play here, notably that Allen’s Buffalo Bills (10-2) have a better record than Jackson’s Ravens as well as the fact that Allen has had the flashier highlights as of late. His pitch-and-run TD against the 49ers comes two weeks after this game-sealing scramble against the Kansas City Chiefs, and as a result Allen is currently the toast of the NFL.

It’s not like Jackson hasn’t made similar magic this season, though. Against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 5, he stiff-armed a defender before throwing a touchdown to Isaiah Likely in what may still be the most impressive play of the 2024 season. If only he’d done that later on in the season instead, it might have mattered to MVP voters.

Also likely contributing to Jackson’s dwindling MVP case is the fact that he’s already won it twice, including last year, while Allen never has. Some voters may feel uncomfortable awarding a third MVP to a player who has yet to appear in a Super Bowl, let alone win one.

But the numbers don’t lie. In spite of his team’s faults, Lamar Jackson is statistically having the best season of any quarterback in the NFL, and there’s no reason why he shouldn’t still be given heavy consideration as its Most Valuable Player.