It's not always clear who is the favorite to win the NFL's MVP award. Sometimes the competition is so great that it comes down to more than just wins and losses and individual stats. It comes down to a significant x-factor that somehow separates one from a field of others. But for Baltimore Ravens' quarterback Lamar Jackson, he is a clear-cut, no-brainer for the league's most coveted individual award for the 2023 season.
The Ravens are under .500 when Lamar Jackson doesn't play
To start with what makes Jackson such a strong favorite to win the MVP, you have to look no further than what the team accomplished this season. At 13-4 with the best record in the NFL this season, the Ravens were able to capture the No. 1 seed in the NFL in the AFC. With MVP voting, that's all you can account for, as the postseason has no merit on voting.
Jackson is obviously an intense difference-maker, and although last year or seasons past also have no merit on MVP voting, voters know how different the Ravens have been without their star quarterback in the lineup. The Ravens are 4-9 when Jackson doesn't play, going back to 2019, that includes five losses over just the past two seasons with one of those being a Wild Card loss in last year's playoffs, per StatMuse.
And that's perhaps what is most important on this latest run that Jackson is on, being that he's healthy. He's the healthiest he's been in two seasons and the Ravens' production is showing for it.
The Ravens rank high in most categories because of Lamar Jackson
Any fan or pundit could argue that Jackson plays on a team that ranks in the top 10 in nearly every defensive category. However, you could come right back with your own argument that the Ravens also possess the same on offense as well.
The Ravens ranked 6th in total offense, 1st in rushing offense, 4th in scoring offense (29.9 points per game), 8th in third-down offense, and 7th in red zone offense. They had the 4th most rushing touchdowns in the NFL (26), ranked 1st in rushing yards per game, 3rd in yards per carry (4.9), and were 6th in yards per game (370.4). They were also +12 in turnover margin.
Granted, as a team, we know that's not all the work of just one man. But one man certainly had a lot to do with it. That man, of course, is Jackson, who led the Ravens in rushing yards with 821, ranking 22nd in the league overall in the category, being the highest-ranked quarterback on the list. He also led the entire league in yards per rushing attempt (5.5), outdoing the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey, the league leader in rushing yards. But with someone with impeccable running abilities like Jackson, most will then point to his lack of passing statistics.
Jackson was ranked 9th in the league in completion percentage (67.2), 12th in passing touchdowns (24), 15th in passing yards (3,678), tied for 8th in passing yards per attempt (8), and 4th in QBR (64.7). He also threw only seven interceptions all season and accounted for a total of 4,281 yards, which ranked 6th in the NFL in total offense, per Pro-Football-Reference.
Jackson doesn't have to rank high in all passing categories — even though he has proven to be a great passer. What makes Jackson so unique and dominating is his style of play and how dangerous he is at both. There are very few quarterbacks in the league or in history that have had the skill set that Jackson possesses and have executed at the type of high level he has. That's why he's going to win his second MVP award in four years.
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