Lamar Jackson makes MVP claim with thrilling play in Ravens' win over Jaguars
Lamar Jackson wasn't listening to the talk of Brock Purdy being the new MVP favorite, or Purdy pumping up Christian McCaffrey for the award. He didn't know the rumblings that Josh Allen might be playing himself back into contention for the award.
But on Sunday night, Jackson had an answer for all of it.
You don't hear about "an NFL MVP moment" as often as a Heisman moment, though Jackson already has both of those awards on his mantle. But if an NFL MVP moment existed, Jackson had one Sunday night with everyone watching.
Jackson pulled off a magic act on a massive play in the Baltimore Ravens' 23-7 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday night. Dawuane Smoot had Jackson all but wrapped up for a sack. Jackson somehow escaped, kept the play going as Smoot's second effort got him in position again for a sack. Jackson threw it deep to tight end Isaiah Likely, who made a great catch for a 26-yard gain. Baltimore scored two plays later, extending its lead to 17-7. The Jaguars never got back in the game after that.
Jackson has had plenty of highlights in his NFL career, so it's hard to single one out. But if there was one play to sum up Jackson's greatness, that great escape and the pass to Likely is as good as any. Whether or not he's the MVP this season, there's still not a more electrifying player in the league.
Lamar Jackson having another big season
There will be plenty of MVP debate this week after Purdy took a step forward, Dak Prescott took a step back and Jackson shined on a national stage. But Jackson probably doesn't care about another MVP. The biggest shift in Jackson's legacy will come with a Super Bowl win.
It's possible this season. The Ravens are 11-3 and while they have tough games left, they're in line for the No. 1 seed in the AFC. And the way Jackson and the defense are playing, the Ravens will be tough to beat in Baltimore.
Jackson is carrying the offense, which is a brand new scheme for him this season under coordinator Todd Monken. The scheme changed but the formula is similar: The Ravens will have a handful of plays every game in which Jackson makes something big happen out of thin air. Those turning point plays are what differentiate the Ravens from many other teams. Jackson had 171 yards passing, 97 yards rushing and his impact on the game was bigger than the stats would indicate.
Jackson has had challenges this season. The running game has been inconsistent with J.K. Dobbins' season-ending injury in Week 1, and it won't get better with rookie Keaton Mitchell's season-ending knee injury, according to head coach John Harbaugh. The Ravens lost tight end Mark Andrews, the most important player on their offense besides Jackson, to a season-ending injury and it hasn't affected them much yet.
That's because Jackson continues to play at a high level. Pair that with a defense that has been excellent against the pass all season, and maybe this is Jackson's time to make a deep playoff run.
Jaguars overmatched by Ravens
The Jaguars aren't a bad team, but the Ravens were much better. Jacksonville could have helped itself a little more. Brandon McManus missed two first-half field goals. Trevor Lawrence lost a fumble deep in Ravens territory. A game management mistake led to the clock running out on the first half after a short completion inside the 5-yard line was stopped in bounds.
Lawrence's health will be the top story this week in Jacksonville as he entered the concussion protocol, head coach Doug Pederson told reporters postgame.
Still, it never felt like the Jaguars were a serious challenger to the Ravens on Sunday night. The Jaguars are 8-6 after the loss and a pretty good team, but the Ravens don't have many peers in the AFC right now.
The Ravens are a good team that has a shot at greatness due to Jackson. We should get an idea of how close the Ravens are to being the best team in the NFL next week, when they face the San Francisco 49ers on Christmas night. Then Baltimore plays the Miami Dolphins in Week 17, a game that will be huge for the No. 1 seed race.
A win at the 49ers might give the Ravens a big step toward that top seed. It might also be a defining moment in a wide-open MVP race.
