Lamar Jackson earned the NFL MVP Award in 2023, but should he have?
I remember when the In-N-Out craze was a big thing on the app formerly known as Twitter. Everyone on the West Coast hyped that place up like it was five-star fine dining served on a tray that you use to eat in your car like an animal. And then more and more people tried In-N-Out and were like “Actually, this is pretty mid, I don’t see the hype.”
Well, that’s how I feel about the Baltimore Ravens. The Ravens — and their quarterback — have become the overrated burger chain of the NFL that has lost its luster.
Now, I know everyone is picking up their metaphorical pitchforks and aiming them in my direction because I dared to take the name of Lamar Jackson in vain, so let me make a few things clear: Lamar Jackson is an incredibly talented football player. An elite football player. He’s not an elite thrower of the football, nor is he clutch. The Ravens have also lost a ton of pieces this offseason after what may be their best opportunity to get to the Super Bowl for the foreseeable future.
So today, let’s talk about the Ravens; who they’ve lost, what they lack, and why this infatuation with Lamar Jackson is a bit overdone.
Baltimore Ravens’ lost pieces
While everyone has seemed to put the Buffalo Bills under a microscope for the pieces they’ve lost, it baffles me that almost no one has brought up the incredible losses for the Ravens over the offseason. Star linebacker Patrick Queen signed with the division-rival Pittsburgh Steelers. Safety Geno Stone also stayed in the division by signing with the Cincinnati Bengals. In addition to that, the Ravens lost Kevin Zeitler and John Simpson up front and can never count on Ronnie Stanley to remain healthy. Other notable losses include pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney, cornerback Ronald Darby, running back Gus Edwards, and receiver Odell Beckham Jr.
The biggest loss of all, though, is defensive coordinator Mike Macdonald leaving to become the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks. The Ravens losing the mastermind of their incredible defense from a year ago, combined with the loss of several stars and role players on that side of the ball, will almost certainly lead to a decline for Baltimore defensively.
Offensively, who on that roster scares you outside of Zay Flowers at receiver? Rashod Bateman? Respectfully, no. Mark Andrews is terrific, but we saw injuries begin to take a toll on him a year ago which caused him to miss seven games. And even with Flowers, he isn’t a top 20 receiver in the league. He may not even be a top 32 receiver in the league and the Ravens don’t have a proven No. 2 to complement him.
Now, let’s talk about Mr. Jackson.
Lamar Jackson’s shortcomings
I can feel a disturbance in the Force, which can only mean an ungodly large number of folks in Maryland rushing to type “TWO-TIME MVP.” And sure, good for him. The MVP he won in 2019 was absolutely deserved. The one he won this past season? [Insert Tony Romo voice] I don’t know, Jim.
Jackson put up pedestrian numbers. His 24 touchdown passes were fewer than Baker Mayfield and Russell Wilson, and he threw for less yards than Derek Carr and Sam Howell. And I know that box scores don’t tell the entire story, but his advanced stats were also just… Meh.
Of all quarterbacks to play at least 200 snaps in 2023, Jackson finished 11th in adjusted EPA per play, 10th in CPOE, and 11th in Big Time Throws. Jackson wasn’t bad by any means, but he wasn’t MVP levels of great either.
And with Lamar, we have to discuss his lack of big wins. He is 2-4 in the playoffs for his career, and 0-4 when his opponent scores more than 13 points in the postseason. To date, his biggest win is a divisional round playoff game against a rookie quarterback who had one viable receiver on the field and was playing in his first playoff game. His second-biggest win was against Ryan Tannehill and the Titans, who beat the tar out of Baltimore the year prior in the playoffs.
In his two biggest games – against the Bills in the 2020-21 divisional round and the Chiefs in the 2023-24 AFC Championship Game, Lamar threw two of the worst interceptions you’ll ever see. Trailing 10-3 with a chance to tie the game, he threw a pick to Taron Johnson of the Bills in the end zone and it was returned 101 yards for a touchdown. The Bills won and advanced to the AFC Championship Game. And against Kansas City this past January with a chance to make it a one-score game with just under seven minutes to play, Jackson threw a pass into triple coverage in the end zone that was intercepted by Deon Bush. And if he didn’t pick it off, multiple other Chiefs would have had a chance to do so. In both playoff games combined, Jackson went 34-of-61 for 434 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and a passer rating of 68.5. On top of that, Jackson leads all quarterbacks in turnovers in the fourth quarter and overtime in one possession games over the last three seasons, per ESPN.
There’s no denying that Jackson is a great talent – he absolutely is. But we can also acknowledge that he’s become overrated and isn’t on the same level as Patrick Mahomes, Josh Allen, or Joe Burrow.
