Eleven Players Get an MVP Prediction, But None Are Named Lamar Jackson
When Lamar Jackson won his second NFL MVP award last season, he came within a single vote of being a unanimous selection for the second time in five years.
Over the past week, a number of pundits and league insiders predicted who will be this season's MVP. Shockingly, of the ones we monitored, Jackson did not get a single vote.
In ESPN's survey of league executives and scouts, Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes was the winner. Others receiving votes were Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, and Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.
Mahomes also was the leading vote-getter for MVP among NFL.com analysts, as he received 16 of 28 votes. Allen (four), Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud (four), Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts (two), San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (one), and Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence (one) also got votes.
Among Sports Illustrated’s MMQB writers, four picked Mahomes for MVP, two chose Allen, and Burrow, Love, and Stroud each received a vote.
Pro Football Focus’ four analysts were split between Mahomes and Burrow for MVP, while Mahomes, Burrow, Stroud, and New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers each received a vote from NFL Network’s “NFL GameDay” analysts.
Overall, 11 players received at least one vote across the aforementioned outlets, and none were named Lamar Jackson.
MMQB Predictions Include Kyle Hamilton for DPOY, Derrick Henry for OPOY
The MMQB staff also made their predictions for the other individual awards and postseason. Here's a look at the picks that involved the Ravens:
Mitch Goldich
Super Bowl: Ravens 27, Rams 23; Lamar Jackson MVP
Defensive Player of the Year: S Kyle Hamilton
"Earlier this summer, the MMQB staff predicted which teams would win the next five Super Bowls. I was one of only two people to pick the Ravens (which surprised me) and the only person to pick the Rams (which didn't). I stand by my takes that these are stable franchises with good coaching staffs and front offices that'll be in position to contend multiple times in the next five years. I like them both in the short term, too. I think the Ravens are bound to break through and win one of these years with Lamar Jackson, so why not in a season when they may catch the Chiefs running on fumes as they try to complete the three-peat, a season after getting back to the Super Bowl was already such a slog? Despite some departures on defense, the Ravens are still as dangerous as any team. If the Bills take a step back and the Texans' ascent to perennial contender status doesn't lead to the Promised Land quite yet, Baltimore can again be atop the AFC as the No. 1 seed."
Matt Verderame
Offensive Player of the Year: RB Derrick Henry
"Bet on the old back. Derrick Henry might be 30 years old, but years of relative inactivity to start his career with the Titans seems to have prolonged his productivity. And, in Baltimore, Henry is going to see the ball plenty in one of the league's most run-heavy attacks. If he stays healthy, it wouldn't surprise me if Henry runs for 1,500 yards and pushes for another rushing crown."
Andrew Brandt
Super Bowl: Packers 34, Ravens 23; Jordan Love MVP
"In the AFC, the Chiefs have found a way the past couple of years, whether through scintillating quarterback play or an opportunistic defense, but I believe that fortune will run out this year. No, I don't think it has anything to do with Patrick Mahomes falling off or Travis Kelce getting old or Taylor Swift's presence or whatever; simply that this is the year the best regular-season team in recent years—the Ravens—carry it through in the playoffs. It is their time."
Gilberto Manzano
"Bold prediction: The Ravens will miss the playoffs, even with the arrival of Derrick Henry. With seven new playoff teams in my field, I had to make some tough decisions on the top teams from a year ago. Baltimore appears to be a team set up for a down year because of its lack of depth at wide receiver and question marks on the offensive line, which lost three starters from 2023. The signing of Henry was supposed to be the missing piece for the Ravens, but then they created other roster holes. It also doesn't help that Henry is in his age-30 season, with plenty of wear and tear on his body from his productive seasons with the Tennessee Titans. Let's not forget about the difficult schedule and the loss of former Defensive Coordinator Mike Macdonald, now the head coach of the Seahawks. The Ravens will contend for a playoff spot because they have Lamar Jackson, but it might fall apart in the end with all the obstacles mentioned above."
Patrick Queen Reflects on His Time in Baltimore
Former Ravens linebacker Patrick Queen has embraced being a villain in Baltimore after signing with the rival Pittsburgh Steelers this offseason, but underneath the trash talk, Queen admitted that he misses his old teammates.
"Being there for four years, you create bonds with people, and that's the stuff that don't die," Queen told The Baltimore Banner's Giana Han. "That stuff don't go away."
Queen said he sensed his time in Baltimore was coming to a close as last season progressed. Both he and defensive tackle Justin Madubuike were set to become free agents and land lucrative contracts, and the Ravens were unlikely to afford both.
"I was already told that it was going to be down to me or Madubuike, and I kind of already knew that defensive line was the priority," Queen said.
Reflecting on his time with the Ravens, Queen spoke fondly of fellow inside linebacker Roquan Smith, then-Inside Linebackers Coach Zach Orr, and Macdonald. He also praised Trenton Simpson, the player who is taking his spot this season.
"I was always in his corner," Queen said. "I just hope he's better than what I was."
Stephen A. Smith Says Henry Could Make Ravens' Offense More Dangerous Than Chiefs'
ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith believes the addition of Henry will take the Ravens' offense to an even higher level this season and potentially be more potent than the Chiefs' offense.
"It ain't just about the numbers; he's a punisher, he wears you down, he beats you up," Smith said. "With that in mind, I'm thinking about how Lamar Jackson can benefit off that. And so when I'm imagining him having a stud, a bell cow coming out of the backfield like Derrick Henry; knowing what he can do with his legs and throwing the football; recognizing that Zay Flowers is going to be better; Rashod Bateman, why would we assume he's not going to be better; Nelson Agholor [is back]; Mark Andrews is going to be healthy.
"I'm just thinking that this offense right here, the Baltimore Ravens, have the potential to be even more dangerous than even Kansas City."
On a side note, NFL.com analyst Maurice Jones-Drew put Henry at No. 2 in his prediction of who the top 10 running backs will be this season, behind only the San Francisco 49ers' Christian McCaffrey.
"The fact that Henry feels 'right at home' alongside Lamar Jackson in the Ravens' offense should both terrify defenses and excite football fans," Jones-Drew wrote. "After all, each of those playmakers leads his respective position in carries and rushing yards since 2018. Henry's physicality perfectly complements Jackson's breakneck speed in Baltimore's ground attack — much like thunder and lightning in a Midwest June sky.
"The 30-year-old RB has become so accustomed to facing stacked boxes — encountering them on 36.6 percent of his carries in his career, per Next Gen Stats, most in the NFL since 2016 — that he's surely thrilled to share a backfield with a quarterback who demands significant attention on every play. 'King Henry' is about to feast."
Ravens' Roster Ranked Fifth-Best by PFF
PFF’s Jim Wyman and Dalton Wasserman ranked all 32 teams' rosters heading into Week 1, and the Ravens came in at No. 5. Here are some of their takeaways:
X-factor for 2024: G Andrew Vorhees
"Andrew Vorhees is an interesting story, as despite tearing his ACL during the NFL combine, he still elected to do the bench press anyway and put up 38 reps, the most among offensive linemen in attendance. Despite being projected to go as early as Day 2, Vorhees fell to the seventh round (231st overall) thanks to the injury. His misfortune may be Baltimore's gain, though, as the Ravens were able to stash him away while he recovered, and he now appears set to take over the starting left guard job. Vorhees' recovery is critical, as outside of Ronnie Stanley and Tyler Linderbaum, the Ravens are pretty thin on the offensive line and will be relying on some unproven commodities in other spots."
Rookie to watch: WR Devontez Walker
"Due to how thin the Ravens' receiving room is, there is ample opportunity for someone to step up and steal a starting role and Devontez Walker seems most primed to make that leap. At one point, he was considered a first-round prospect, but Walker fell to the fourth round after an inconsistent 2023 that saw him miss time due to NCAA eligibility issues. Walker ran a 4.36-second 40-yard dash so he has the speed to take the top off defenses and make plays for this Ravens offense."
Over/Under 10.5 win total: Under
"Just about everything went right for the Ravens last season up until the AFC Championship Game despite playing in a very difficult AFC North. While they should be expected once again to be one of the top teams in the AFC, their concerns at wide receiver and offensive line make them less of the sure thing they were in 2023. Couple that with the improvements the other three teams made in the division during the offseason, and the Ravens could be a candidate to regress in 2024."
