Ravens John Harbaugh Praises 'Natural Progression' of Lamar Jackson Amid MVP-Level Season
The Baltimore Ravens have the AFC's No. 1 seed locked up with a game to spare thanks in part, to the MVP-level play of quarterback Lamar Jackson.
With Todd Monken's offense currently second in the NFL for points per game (29.6), Jackson has had his way with teams this season, but none more so than the "top" teams he has faced.
Jackson had a big hand in obliterating the Detroit Lions (38-6), the Seattle Seahawks (38-3), the San Francisco 49ers (33-19) and the Miami Dolphins (56-19) and his stats in those games are superb.
Lamar completed 83 of his 109 passes for 1,117 yards, 10 touchdowns, and zero interceptions. That'll work.
But what does head coach John Harbaugh credit Lamar's stellar season to?
“To me with Lamar, it’s just a natural progression,” Harbaugh said. “He’s always been a great player since he got here, but his ability to improve across the board, I think his ability over the course of the season to assimilate the offense, a lot of things are very similar to what we’ve done in the past, a lot of things aren’t. Operating at the line of scrimmage, making certain decisions. He’s throwing the ball well, he’s moving in the pocket, he’s seeing the field, he’s protecting the ball, it’s a lot of things.”
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Such has been Jackson's season, he is now the clear front-runner for the MVP award and it is hard to argue against him winning his second.
With the No. 1 seed secured, Jackson will be sitting out the Week 18 clash against the Pittsburgh Steelers so it will be Tyler Huntley's show to finish off the season in style.
That means that Jackson's season finishes throwing for 3,678 passing yards (career-high), 24 touchdowns (highest since 2020), 821 rushing yards (most since 2020), and five rushing touchdowns.
All of that adds up to the Ravens having a 13-3 record (Lamar's regular season record is now 58-19), and potentially with a second MVP award in his trophy case.
But of course, Harbaugh will be hoping that Lamar's "natural progression" will continue into the playoffs (1-3 record for Jackson) and will be the reason why he can lead Baltimore to a Super Bowl win.
