Lamar Jackson is bound to be a strong candidate for NFL MVP during every season in which he’s healthy as the Baltimore Ravens’ starting quarterback. Although his chances to become a three-time winner in 2024 faded a bit at midseason thanks to some quieter games and louder statements by other passers and runners, don’t rule out a repeat just yet.
Jackson padded his stats and resume with a monster interconference performance against the hapless Giants in Sunday’s 35-14 resounding Ravens road romp. The Week 15 victory improved Baltimore to 9-5, keeping the team in top AFC wild-card position (No. 5 seed) and on the heels of Pittsburgh in the AFC North race.
Jackson went 21-of-25 passing for 295 yards with five TDs, averaging 10.7 yards per attempt with a near-perfect 154.6 efficiency rating. He also added six rushes for 65 yards, two short of the game’s high of 67 by Derrick Henry.
The Ravens were greater than two-touchdown favorites in New York, so it isn’t surprising that he destroyed a defense that has struggled vs. run and pass alike for much of the season. Still, those numbers count toward making his latest sensational season more impressive.
Here’s breaking them down for the season and taking an updated look at the NFL MVP race vs. Josh Allen, Saquon Barkley, and Jared Goff:
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Lamar Jackson stats 2024
When adding the Giants’ output to his season totals, this is where Jackson stands statistically through 14 games in 2024:
- 275 completions on 404 attempts (68.0 completion percentage)
- 3,580 passing yards, 8.9 yards per attempt
- 34 passing TDs, 3 INTs, league-best 120.7 passer rating
- 743 rushing yards, 3 rushing TDs, 6.7 yards per attempt
Jackson is on a 17-game pace for 4,347 passing yards and 41 passing TDs, which would both shatter his previous career highs. He had 3,678 passing yards in last season’s MVP run and a league-best 36 passing TDs in his 2019 MVP campaign. He’s also on pace to crack 902 rushing yards for the first time since he broke 1,000 in 2020. The 120.7 rating and 8.9 YPA would also blow away previous bests.
When taking all that into account, Lamar Jackson is having his best personal season. Logic says if he won as a “lesser” all-around QB in 2019 and 2023, he should also win this season. But winning MVP is as much about the competition for the award than having worthy, gaudy stats that prove one should win the award.
Lamar Jackson’s NFL MVP case
Allen went into the Bills’ Week 15 game at Detroit with 3,033 passing yards, 23 passing TDs, a 7.7 YPA, and 101.9 passer rating. Goff went into the Lions’ Week 15 game at Buffalo with 3,265 passing yards, 25 passing TDs, a 8.6 YPA, and a 109.1 passer rating. Allen pads his case with 416 rushing yards and nine rushing TDs.
Allen’s best calling card is his TDs and carrying his team as a passer and runner, but Jackson is doing that at a higher level. Goff is closer to Jackson in passing but has only 47 rushing yards for the season, or 18 fewer than what Jackson just dropped on the Giants.
The newness and “improved play” seem to be the biggest factors pushing Allen and Goff into prominent MVP pushes, but in terms of pure QB play, again, Jackson is the best all-around in the league, at least in the regular season.
But the MVP is not a “spread it around” award. Since 2018, just three men have captured the honor: Jackson, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers. Jackson has not had the same “MVP moments” as Allen and Goff this season, and his team is not a division leader. Those are he only two significant factors hurting Jackson’s candidacy.
Barkley, during his stellar first season with the Eagles, is trying to break the 2,000-yard rushing mark and also pass the single-season record set by Eric Dickerson 40 years ago for the 1984 Rams. He is trying to join the most recent RB, Adrian Peterson in 2012, in parlaying 2K-plus into MVP.
The Associated Press would be hard-pressed to not give Barkley the award in that case. But keep in mind that in 1984, Dickerson, running for the 10-6 Rams, didn’t come close to winning the award, finishing well behind Dan Marino, who had a monster passing season for the 14-2 Dolphins.
If NFL MVP is indeed the “best quarterback” award, then Jackson should win it again, but this season, there’s a little more nuance. It’s rather weird the biggest knock against Jackson will be the fact he already was spectacular last season, keeping him from winning MVP in his best season so far.
