OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson is on a path to become — as the Baltimore Ravens often put it — the next “MV3.”
Jackson is off to one of the best starts of his career, quarterbacking the NFL’s No. 1 offense and putting up numbers that would surpass those from last season, when he was named Most Valuable Player. If Jackson wins the award this year, he would become the youngest three-time NFL MVP, but that’s not the history that’s on his mind.
“I really don’t care about the hype,” Jackson said after Thursday’s practice. “I’m not going to dwell on an MVP trophy, or anything like that. I never have. Even when I won it, I never dwelled on it. It was about me just trying to win each and every game I’m in. And same thing from now, I’m still trying to win these games to get to February and win in February.”
Jackson, 27, is alluding to the fact that he’s 2-4 in the postseason and has yet to advance past the conference championship game. He is currently the only multiple MVP winner who has yet to win a Super Bowl.
But Jackson has the Ravens (4-2) in position for another championship run, winning four straight heading into Monday night’s game at the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). He’s seventh in passing (1,529 yards) and eighth in rushing (403 yards), which puts him on pace to eclipse his numbers from last season (3,678 yards passing, 821 rushing).
Jackson’s stellar numbers and memorable plays on the field — such as when he stiff-armed Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard and threw a touchdown pass to Isaiah Likely in Cincinnati two weeks ago — has ramped up the buzz for another MVP trophy. The Ravens’ social media accounts have started to refer to Jackson as “MV3.”
“I just feel like everything is slowing down even more,” Jackson said. “Just from the [seven] years I’ve been in the league and seeing all types of defenses, seeing all types of blitzes. Everything is just second nature right now. So, I’m just trying to be a better player myself each and every year.”
Jackson would become the seventh player in NFL history to win three MVP awards, joining Jim Brown, Johnny Unitas, Brett Favre, Peyton Manning, Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers. Entering Week 7, Jackson is the second-leading betting favorite at +550, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (+325), according to ESPN BET.
“He is always seeking to improve,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He’s very much a perfectionist. He wants every play to be perfect. He chases perfection in his football. But I think his focus is on the next play [and] the next game.”
