The Ravens gave Lamar Jackson one of the richest quarterback contracts in NFL history during the 2023 offseason. After years of haggling, the two sides agreed to a deal to pay Jackson $260 million over five years.
The commitment was a massive one for the Ravens, especially considering that Jackson had struggled with injuries that impacted his efficacy in previous seasons.
Thus far, the dual-threat quarterback is rewarding their faith.
Jackson has performed at a high level during the 2023 NFL season. The 26-year-old is having one of his best passing seasons to date and has remained an effective scrambler while managing to protect himself from injury.
Because of this, the Ravens boast a top-five scoring offense and are in first place in the crowded AFC North 10 games into the season.
Jackson has been a huge part of Baltimore’s success in 2023 and he deserves a lot of credit for it. That’s why he has gotten MVP buzz as the Ravens have continued to put the beatdown on other winning NFL teams like the Seahawks and Lions.
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But how does this compare to the buzz that Jackson got during his 2019 MVP season? It’s not quite as loud, but it is definitely warranted with the way he has performed to date.
Lamar Jackson stats 2023
Jackson has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL during the 2023 season thus far. He is coming off one of his worst outings of the season against the Browns — his lone two-interception game of the year — but he has largely been an efficient starter.
Per usual, Jackson has done plenty of damage with his legs and is set to average more than five yards per carry for a fifth consecutive season. That said, he has been more impressive through the air than in seasons past and is poised to post his best season as a quarterback since his MVP-winning 2019 campaign.
One of the reasons for that? Jackson ranks third in the NFL with a 70.3 completion percentage to date. That is easily a career high, and it has allowed him to be one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL.
Below is a look at Jackson’s stats through 10 weeks of the 2023 season.
Note: Rushing stat rankings are among quarterbacks.
Stat Total Rank Comp. % 70.3 3rd Passing yards 2,177 14th Pass TDs 10 T-19th INTs 5 T-2nd Yards per attempt 7.9 5th Passer rating 98.1 10th QBR 61.3 12th PFF grade 87.5 T-4th Carries 92 1st Rushing yards 481 1st Rush TDs 5 T-3rd Yards per carry 5.2 2nd
It certainly looks like Todd Monken’s offense is positively affecting Jackson. He should only get better as he grows more comfortable in the vertical passing attack.
MORE: Lamar Jackson rips apart Lions defense in stellar effort
Lamar Jackson stats 2019
How does Jackson’s performance in 2023 compare to that of his 2019 MVP season? It stacks up well, but 2019 was still more prolific for the Ravens quarterback.
Jackson was excellent during his breakout second season in Baltimore. He started 15 of 16 games and managed to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns, QBR and yards per carry while being the biggest dual-threat weapon in the sport.
Jackson posted an absurdly high touchdown percentage of 9 and turned the Ravens into a 14-2 juggernaut that averaged 33.2 points per game. That made him look like a potential all-time great, and while his hype train cooled a bit after a few injury-plagued seasons, it’s clear that he still has the tools that once made him a truly unstoppable force.
Below is a look at how Jackson fared statistically in 2019.
Note: Rushing stat rankings are among quarterbacks.
Stat Total Rank Comp. % 66.1 T-8th Passing yards 3,127 22nd Pass TDs 36 1st INTs 6 T-23rd Yards per attempt 7.8 T-11th Passer rating 113.3 3rd QBR 83.0 1st PFF grade 90.1 4th Carries 176 1st Rushing yards 1,206 1st Rush TDs 7 T-2nd Yards per carry 6.9 1st
So, while Jackson has been good in 2023, it’s impossible to argue against his performance in 2019 being better. After all, Jackson’s second season was arguably one of the greatest by a quarterback in NFL history.
MORE: Where Ravens rank in jam-packed AFC North entering Week 10
Lamar Jackson stats comparison
If you need some extra proof just to bury that debate in full, here’s a look at what Jackson’s stats in each season would extrapolate to over a full, 17-game slate. Jackson has only started 10 games in 2023 thus far and made 15 starts during a 16-game season in 2019.
Stat 2019 2023 Comp. % 66.1 70.3 Passing yards 3,544 3,701 Pass TDs 41 17 INTs 7 8 Yards per attempt 7.8 7.9 Passer rating 113.3 98.1 QBR 83.0 61.3 PFF grade 90.1 87.5 Carries 199 156 Rushing yards 1,377 818 Rush TDs 8 8 Yards per carry 6.9 5.2
Again, it’s hard to argue that Jackson is having a better season now than he was in 2019. He is operating with better accuracy in a league that is skewing toward having stronger defenses, which is impressive, but the explosive playmaking ability he showcased in 2019 remains unmatched.
And Jackson pacing to have less than half as many passing touchdowns in 2023 than he did in 2019 should be all the proof needed to quickly end this debate.
Lamar Jackson MVP odds 2023
Of course, just because Jackson’s 2019 MVP season was better than his current campaign projects to be doesn’t mean that he can’t win MVP.
Jackson has been one of the NFL’s best quarterbacks to date. His high marks in completion percentage, dual-threat ability and the Ravens’ 7-3 record should at least put him in the mix for the award down the stretch of the 2023 season.
That’s part of the reason that Jackson currently has odds of +400 to win MVP, according to odds from Caesar’s Sportsbook. Those are the third-shortest odds among the field and give him an implied 20 percent chance of winning the award.
NFL MVP odds 2023
Below is a look at where Jackson ranks among the other top NFL MVP favorites, per Caesar’s Sportsbook. At present, there are 13 players with odds of 50-1 or shorter to win the ward while five players have odds less than 10-1.
Player Odds Patrick Mahomes +280 Jalen Hurts +350 Lamar Jackson +400 Tua Tagovailoa +650 Joe Burrow +850 Christian McCaffrey +1800 Brock Purdy +1800 Josh Allen +2200 C.J. Stroud +2500 Jared Goff +3000 Dak Prescott +3500 Tyreek Hill +4000 Trevor Lawrence +5000
POWER RANKINGS: Where Ravens rank among NFL’s best teams entering Week 10
Lamar Jackson MVP voting results 2019
Jackson may have a chance to win the NFL MVP in the wide-open 2023 voting cycle, but it won’t be as easy as his victory in 2019.
Jackson received all 50 NFL MVP votes for 2019. That made him just the second player to win the award unanimously; Tom Brady was the only other player to do that after he posted 3,900 yards, 36 touchdowns and four interceptions during the 2010 season with the Patriots.
So, Jackson is keeping good company with Brady on that exclusive list. And if he can win a second MVP, he would become just the 11th player in NFL history to achieve such a feat. He would join the following list of winners:
Player Wins Years Peyton Manning 5 2003, 2004, 2008, 2009, 2013 Aaron Rodgers 4 2011, 2014, 2020, 2021 Tom Brady 3 2007, 2010, 2017 Brett Favre 3 1995, 1996, 1997 Jim Brown 3 1957, 1958, 1965 Johnny Unitas 3 1959, 1964, 1967 Patrick Mahomes 2 2018, 2022 Kurt Warner 2 1999, 2001 Steve Young 2 1992, 1994 Joe Montana 2 1989, 1990
But first, Jackson must complete the second half of the Ravens season and keep them playing at a high level to earn that type of consideration.
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