Lamar Jackson Wins 2nd Career NFL MVP Award
In a historic moment at the NFL Honors ceremony, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson secured his second NFL Most Valuable Player (MVP) award, making him the youngest two-time MVP since the merger. Despite falling short of his season expectations, Jackson’s impressive performance and contributions to the Ravens did not go unnoticed.
At just 27 years old, Jackson beat out Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes by a margin of nine months to become the youngest player to win the MVP award twice. With 49 out of 50 first-place votes, Jackson fell just short of another unanimous selection. Only Tom Brady has achieved a unanimous MVP selection before.
Jackson expressed his gratitude to his organization, the Baltimore Ravens, for their support and for getting his contract deal done. He signed a five-year, $260 million contract nine months ago. He also acknowledged his offense and offensive line for their contributions, recognizing that football is a team effort.
Although Jackson lost to Mahomes and the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game, he joins an elite group of players who have won multiple NFL MVP awards in the Super Bowl era. However, he remains the only player among them who has not won a Super Bowl. The other players who have achieved this feat since 1967 include Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Brett Favre, Mahomes, Joe Montana, and Steve Young.
In 2019, when Jackson won his first MVP award, he led the league in touchdown passes and set the single-season rushing record for a quarterback. This time, Jackson’s MVP win was attributed to his exceptional performance as the driving force behind the Ravens’ regular season dominance.
Throughout the season, Jackson set career highs in passing yards and completion rate while leading the Ravens to a league-best record of 13-4. What sets Jackson apart is that he won the MVP without having a 1,000-yard rusher or receiver on his team, a feat achieved only by John Elway and Brett Favre in the past.
Despite ranking outside the top 10 in both touchdown passes and passing yards, Jackson’s ability to perform exceptionally well against teams with winning records set him apart from the other candidates. He recorded 10 victories against winning teams in a single season, a record since 2000.
Reflecting on his achievement, Jackson expressed his gratitude for being considered among the greatest of all time. He acknowledged that he still has something to prove to his critics and naysayers, using their skepticism as fuel to continue improving and achieving greatness.
In addition to Jackson’s MVP win, other notable awards were presented at the NFL Honors ceremony. San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey became the first player from his team to win the AP’s Offensive Player of the Year award since Jerry Rice in 1993. McCaffrey led the league in rushing yards and total yards from scrimmage while scoring 21 touchdowns.
The Cleveland Browns also had a reason to celebrate as they won four awards, the most by any team. Defensive end Myles Garrett became the first Browns player to win the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year award. Head coach Kevin Stefanski won NFL Coach of the Year, and quarterback Joe Flacco was named Comeback Player of the Year. Additionally, Cleveland’s defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz was named Assistant Coach of the Year.
The Houston Texans made history by becoming the fourth team in NFL history to sweep the AP’s Offensive and Defensive Rookie of the Year awards. Quarterback C.J. Stroud, the second overall pick in the 2023 draft, led the league in passing yards per game and touchdown-interception ratio among rookies. Defensive end Will Anderson Jr., the third overall pick, recorded the most sacks ever by a Texans rookie.
Lastly, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive tackle Cameron Heyward was honored with the Walter Payton Man of the Year award for his efforts in combating childhood hunger and supporting childhood literacy.
As the NFL Honors ceremony came to a close, the winners and nominees celebrated their achievements and looked forward to their future endeavors. For Lamar Jackson, his second MVP award serves as a reminder of his exceptional talent and determination to achieve even greater success in the future.