Jackson, 27, is heavily favored to win his second NFL MVP award this season, after throwing for 3,678 yards, 24 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions. Add this to his 821 rushing yards and five additional touchdowns in just 16 games, and you can easily see why the Ravens are hosting the defending-Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday.
If imagining Sunday’s tilt as a prize fight, you have a prospective “dream match” between the reigning champion, Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes, and the top contender in Jackson.
Jackson was sacked 37 times this season, and fumbled 11, losing six. With Baltimore’s running game severely diminished due to injury, Jackson accounted for 30.8 percent of rushing yards this season. He even led primary back Gus Edwards by 11 yards at the close of the regular season.
The primary knock against a quarterback with a skillset that Jackson utilizes is trying to contain his yards on the ground, and try to beat you through the air. This is how teams have knocked the Ravens out of the playoffs much earlier than expected in each of Jackson’s three previous playoff appearances. Remember that the Ravens sat home the past two seasons, until finishing 13-3 in 2023.
The last Baltimore loss was a 33-31 comeback by the Cleveland Browns, where Jackson threw a pick-six midway through the fourth quarter, pulling Cleveland to within one. Jackson and the Ravens were ineffective on the next drive, allowing the Browns to run out the final five minutes, walking off with a field goal from Dustin Hopkins.
Baltimore has a top-5 defense to support their potent offense, which Jackson found new life with upon the signing of receiver Odell Beckham Jr. Playing on his third team in two seasons, Beckham caught 35 passes and three touchdowns, after missing all of 2022 recovering from an ACL injury suffered in Super Bowl 56 with the Los Angeles Rams.
Jackson needs one more game to cement his status as being on the podium of top quarterbacks in the NFL. Mahomes has two titles, and has earned the top spot. Josh Allen could be in the conversation, but not until he beats Mahomes in the playoffs. Dak Prescott has to win a playoff game in Dallas to even be considered for honorable mention. Joe Burrow needs to avoid a nagging injury long enough for it not to resurface at a key point in Cincinnati’s season.
So the question has to be asked…is Lamar Jackson second-best behind Mahomes by default?
Baltimore’s two losses at home were to divisional opponents--Cleveland and Pittsburgh--who both qualified for the playoffs. The Ravens sat most of their starters, including Jackson, in the Week 18 finale against the Steelers, having already locked up the top spot in the AFC the week prior.
Mahomes and Burrow are the only two quarterbacks picked in the top 10 of the NFL Draft since 2017 to make a Super Bowl as the starter with the franchise that selected them. Jackson would be only the third first-round quarterback in that group over the same timeframe with a win on Sunday. Remember that Jared Goff was picked first overall by the Rams in 2016, but traded to Detroit after the 2020 season.
The Lions winning over San Francisco would guarantee a quarterback matchup in the Super Bowl of first round picks for the second time in three years (Matthew Stafford and Burrow in SB56). Prior to then, you have to go back to Super Bowl 50 for Cam Newton and Peyton Manning.
The Ravens would undoubtedly be favored with either NFC team in the Super Bowl. Even with an upset loss in Las Vegas on that stage, Jackson would shed off the gorilla on his back to break through in a way that Allen has yet to.
-JC24