Pundit Says There's 'No Debate' That Lamar Jackson Is Midseason MVP
Lamar Jackson didn't run much in the Ravens' 41-10 win over the Denver Broncos, but the two-time NFL MVP may have run away from the pack of MVP contenders with yet another outstanding passing performance.
While some national pundits have given the midseason MVP nod to Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen or Detroit Lions quarterback Jared Goff, The Baltimore Banner's Jonas Shaffer said Jackson is the choice and it's not even close.
"There can be no debate on either side of the aisle this season: No one in football is playing better," Shaffer wrote. "Jackson's weekly mastery has a softening effect on his true masterpieces, dimming their brilliance and relegating them to just another snippet in his ever-growing highlight reel, but his performance Sunday stood out, even for him.
"Against a Broncos defense that had led the NFL in yards per play allowed entering Week 9, Jackson went 16-for-19 for 280 yards and three touchdowns. His perfect passer rating (158.3) was the fourth of his NFL career, tying Ben Roethlisberger for the most in league history. That Jackson did it all after a limited week of practice was all the more remarkable."
Fox Sports' James Jones also believes Jackson is in a league of his own this season.
"Lamar Jackson looks like he is on a different planet than everybody else. He's playing at a different speed," Jones said on Fox Sports’ “The Facility.” "It looks so unfair right now to everybody else. I think the NFL needs to come up with a rule [that] if you play the Ravens you get an extra guy on defense."
Jackson is content to let his play and others do the talking about his MVP candidacy, as he has made it clear that his focus is on winning his first Super Bowl, not his third MVP award.
"By now, the numbers and the film and the testimonials speak for themselves. Loudly," Shaffer said. "Jackson is the best player on an offense averaging more yards per play (7.1) than any team since 2000 has ever finished a season with. He is the unflinching fulcrum of a unit with few peers in NFL history.
"Full control of the offense. Full control of his narrative. Full control of the Ravens' season. If it ends with more individual awards, so be it. For now, 'MV3' is the expectation. But Super Bowl LIX is still the dream."
Pat McAfee Jokes NFL Should Have Not Allowed Ravens to Sign Derrick Henry
While Jackson is arguably widening the gap between himself and other MVP candidates, running back Derrick Henry is doing the same in the Offensive Player of the Year race, NFL.com’s Jeffri Chadiha said.
In handing out his midseason superlatives, Chadiha named Henry the best offseason acquisition.
"[Henry has] made other teams - namely the Cowboys - look ridiculous for not pursuing him this offseason," Chadiha wrote. "He leads the league in rushing yards (1,052), rushing touchdowns (11) and 100-yard efforts (five). At his current pace, Henry would finish just shy of 2,000 rush yards -- a mark he surpassed in 2020 -- and the space between him and everyone else competing for Offensive Player of the Year already feels like the size of Nova Scotia. Those are just the raw numbers, by the way. The more impressive aspect of Henry joining the Ravens is what his presence has meant for everyone else in that offense."
ESPN's Pat McAfee joked that the NFL never should have allowed the Ravens to sign Henry.
"When Derrick Henry signed with the Baltimore Ravens, our first reaction was, 'That should not even be allowed,'" McAfee said. "The commish should have jumped in there just like the Chris Paul trade to the Lakers when the NBA said, 'Nah, we ain't letting that happen.'"
Ravens Offense Joins 2007 Patriots, 2004 Colts on Exclusive List
The Ravens offense has been one of the most productive through nine games this century in terms of EPA (Expected Points Added).
"With a whopping 20.1 offensive EPA against Denver, the Ravens joined the 2007 New England Patriots and 2004 Indianapolis Colts, two of the great offenses in NFL history, on an exclusive list," The Athletic's Mike Sando wrote. "Those are the only teams since 2000 to meet or exceed 13 offensive EPA in at least six of nine games to start a season, per TruMedia. Those Tom Brady-quarterbacked Patriots did it seven times. The Peyton Manning-quarterbacked Colts did it six times, same as these Jackson-quarterbacked Ravens."
Sando added that the Ravens own two of the four best nine-game starts for offensive EPA per game since Jackson became the full-time starter in 2019. The 2024 Ravens are second and the 2019 Ravens are fourth.
With the offense playing at such a high level, former NFL head coach Bill Belichick reiterated a point he made earlier this season: the only team that can stop the Ravens is the Ravens.
"I honestly don't think they've lost a game this year. The games they lost … I think they lost them more than somebody else won them," Belichick said on "The Pat McAfee Show." "The biggest opponent for the Ravens is the Ravens.
"Offensively, I've been saying all year they're very, very hard to defend. They're so powerful with their running game, their offensive line – [Roger] Rosengarten has done a good job for them coming in at right tackle, [fullback] Patrick Ricard, obviously Henry. And then they're so fast with [Zay] Flowers and [Rashod] Bateman, and obviously Lamar. They've got so many fast guys out there that it's hard to match their speed, and their power and their physicality in the running game."
Pundits Give Zay His Flowers
NBC Sports' Chris Simms said that while Jackson and Henry are playing at an incredibly high level, the emergence of Flowers as a true No. 1 wide receiver also has played a huge role in the offense's dominance.
"As far as how they use him – reverses, speed sweeps, and then of course when he's open in the middle of the field, good luck trying to tackle him," Simms said. "He's got a major acceleration."
There hasn't been a better wide receiver in the league than Flowers since Week 5. After recording two 100-yard-receiving games last season (including the playoffs), the 2023 first-rounder has had at least 111 yards in four of his past five games. The lone exception was in Week 7 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers when he was slowed by a first-half ankle injury.
Flowers is coming off one of his best performances, as he caught five of six targets for 127 yards and a career-high two receiving touchdowns against the Broncos.
"Good Morning Football's" Akbar Gbajabiamila gave Flowers his game ball for Week 9.
"We talk a lot about Lamar Jackson. We talk a lot about Derrick Henry. But this kid's route-running ability ... man. He gets my game ball," Gbajabiamila said.
