Ravens Support Lamar Jackson's MVP Campaign After Win Over 49ers
The 2023 NFL MVP race may be the most wide-open in recent memory, but to the Baltimore Ravens, the rightful winner is clear as day.
Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson, who won the award in 2019, is having himself another strong season. The two-time Pro Bowl selection has completed 66.3 percent of his passes for 3,327 yards and 19 touchdowns with only seven interceptions this season, plus an additional 786 yards and five scores on the ground. Most importantly, he's stayed healthy for the first time in two years, and his presence has helped Baltimore reach the top seed in the AFC with two weeks to go.
Lamar Jackson
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After Monday night's 33-19 statement win over the San Francisco 49ers, the Ravens were very vocal in their support for Jackson's MVP campaign.
"I thought Lamar [Jackson] had an MVP performance tonight," coach John Harbaugh told reporters. "It takes a team to create a performance like that, but it takes a player to play at that level – to play at an MVP level – it takes a player to play that way. And Lamar was all over the field doing everything."
Jackson turned in one of his best performances of the season on Monday night, completing 23 of 35 passes for 252 yards and two touchdowns, plus another 45 yards on the ground. For a Ravens team that entered the game as heavy underdogs, Jackson did everything he needed to and. then some to help them pull off a dominant win.
According to some Ravens players, Jackson sealed the award for himself with his gem of a performance on Christmas.
"I think if anybody watched the game [or] if anybody watches football this season and watched the Baltimore Ravens, they know for a fact [that] Lamar Jackson is the MVP, hands down," linebacker Roquan Smith said. "Anyone that watches football and knows football and [can] see the type of impact he has on the game – not even stat-wise, but just individually, the plays that he makes quarter in and quarter out, play in and play out – compare his film to anyone else in the league. Then, I would love to hear what anyone else has to say after that."
As nice as all the MVP talk is, Jackson is only focusing on helping his team continue to win.
"We got the 'dub.' I really don't care about [my] performance," Jackson said. "I just want to win, and that's what happened tonight. On Christmas, that was my gift... We're just going to keep taking it a day at a time, a practice at a time and a game at a time. That's all I'm focused on right now."
