At this point, how can you not believe that Lamar Jackson is the NFL MVP?
Heading into Week 17, some felt the award was Josh Allen’s to lose while some felt Jared Goff should be in the conversation. Others, like myself, felt Saquon Barkley should be considered as a serious candidate.
The NFL MVP race is far from over, and some are really hating on Lamar Jackson. Others feel it's Josh Allen's to lose while some want Jared Goff.
— First and Pen (@firstandpen) December 24, 2024
So here's a comparison between all three (we'll leave Saquon Barkley out of this for now). Looks pretty clear to us 🤷🏾♂️ pic.twitter.com/wbjcYnILlO
But Jackson’s performance over the recent few weeks is convincing enough to silence us all.
On Christmas afternoon, Jackson put on a show that fans rarely get to see.
We all knew Jackson could run, and his moves yesterday broke many ankles on the Texans’ defense en route to a 31-2 destruction of Houston on Netflix.
But he backed up those runs with passes that many, at one point, thought he was incapable of throwing.
Detractors will point to his rather pedestrian stat line of 168 yards passing and 2 TDs, but that ignores the fact that he didn’t need to pass that much and the game was already in hand by mid-third quarter.
Overall, he had 255 total yards and 3 TDs, which includes 87 rushing yards on only 4 attempts.
4!
With his 48-yard TD run on Wednesday, Jackson also made history by setting a new QB rushing record with 6,110 yards, breaking Michael Vick’s record of 6,109 yards.
Even more amazing is that it took Jackson seven years to break what took Vick thirteen years to set.
“Michael Vick, one of my favorite players,” said Jackson. “That’s just dope.”
To fully appreciate what Jackson is doing this season, you have to go back to April 26th, 2018, the first night of the 2018 NFL Draft.
Jackson, the 2016 Heisman Trophy winner, was in the green room with his mother, waiting to hear his name called in the first round.
He was a three-year starter at Louisville who flourished in his final two seasons.
In his sophomore year, when he won the Heisman, he threw for 3,543 yards, 30 TDs and 9 INTs. He also rushed for 1,571 yards and 21 TDs. In his junior year, he amassed 3,660 yards passing, 27 TDs and 10 INTs while rushing for 1,601 yards and 18 TDs.
That should have made him a first-round selection. Instead, 31 teams passed on him and he sat dejected with his mother. Then Hall of Famer Ozzie Newsome of the Baltimore Ravens traded back into the first round and drafted Jackson with the final pick of the night.
