After yet another outstanding season, Lamar Jackson was awarded his second AP Most Valuable Player title; yet, the Ravens quarterback is still yet to receive a third honor.
Jackson is the youngest quarterback in NFL history to win two MVP honors, having only turned 27 years old. The prominent signal-caller becomes just the second active athlete to have won multiple MVP awards, after Aaron Rodgers of the Jets (four) and Patrick Mahomes of the Chiefs (two).
Jackson has solidified his status as one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks right now. But his postseason troubles raised questions about where he could rank among the all-time QB leaders.
Jackson is the only quarterback in history to earn three MVP trophies without making it to the Super Bowl, according to FOX Sports.
Jackson has performed incredibly well during the regular season, but during the playoffs, he has come back to earth. In comparison to his regular-season ratings (98.0), completion % (64.5), and average attempt (7.5), his career postseason passer rating (75.7), yards per pass attempt (6.8), and completion percentage (57.4) are all noticeably lower.
Jackson is 2-4 in his six playoff appearances and has thrown six touchdowns as opposed to six interceptions, which is a sharp contrast to his regular season touchdown to interception ratio of 125:45.
Many believed that Jackson would eventually play in the Super Bowl in 2024. With the No. 1 seed and maybe their most talented team in years, the 13-4 Ravens went into the postseason as strong favorites. However, Baltimore’s offensive shortcomings played a major role in their 17-10 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game.
Jackson didn’t have as much success in the passing game, although continuing to be an excellent running back with 154 rushing yards and two touchdowns in the divisional and championship rounds. Jackson is ranked ninth in passer rating (92.8) and 12th among all quarterbacks in the postseason in terms of passing yards per game (212) and completion percentage (61.0).
Jackson’s two MVP honors and the Heisman Trophy he earned at Louisville have swiftly accumulated to fill his trophy case. However, his status as one of the all-time greats remains uncertain as long as there is a Vince Lombardi Trophy vacancy.
