Lamar Jackson's case for MVP keeps getting stronger.
For the second consecutive week, Jackson has been named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, becoming the first player in either conference to win the weekly award three times this year.
While leading the Ravens (7-2) to their fifth consecutive victory Sunday, Jackson had a perfect passer rating (158.3), just as he did Week 1 against the Miami Dolphins when he won the award. He's just the second quarterback in NFL history to do it twice in the same season.
Jackson was masterful Sunday during a 49-13 win over the Cincinnati Bengals, completing 15 of 17 passes for 223 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions while rushing for 65 yards and one touchdown on seven carries. His signature moment was a 47-yard touchdown run in the third quarter when he used a 360-degree spin to elude Bengals on the way to the end zone.
Replays of the run have gone viral as the buzz surrounding Jackson keeps growing. In his first full season as a starting quarterback, the 22-year-old leads the NFL in rushing yards per attempt (6.6) and is on pace to set the single-season record for rushing yards by a quarterback set by Michael Vick (1,039 yards) in 2006.
In Week 6 against the Bengals, Jackson became the only NFL player to throw for at least 200 yards (236) and rush for over 150 yards (152) in a regular-season game. For the season, Jackson has completed 65.9 percent of his passes for 2,036 yards, 15 touchdowns and just five interceptions, with a passer rating of 101.7.
In Jackson's 16 regular season starts, Baltimore is 13-3. He sparked the Ravens to the AFC North title last year when he took over as the starter, and the Ravens currently lead the division as the No. 2 seed in the conference.
Jackson won his first player of the week award to start the season when he threw five touchdown passes in the season-opener against the Miami Dolphins. His second player of the week award came Week 9 after a 37-20 victory over the previously unbeaten New England Patriots, who had allowed just four touchdowns in their first eight games. Jackson completed 17 of 23 passes for 163 yards and one touchdown against New England, while rushing for 61 yards and two touchdowns on 16 carries.
As a passer and a runner, Jackson has become the NFL's most dynamic dual threat.
Jackson's focus remains on trying to reach the Super Bowl, not on individual awards. But honors keep coming his way. Once again, he is the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and with each superlative performance, more people are viewing him as the league's most valuable player.
