Lamar Jackson's bet on himself is MVP-caliber so far
A player betting on themselves with generational wealth on the line is always a bit scary, but Lamar Jackson has to be feeling good about the bet he’s made with his contract set to expire after this NFL season.
Jackson isn’t just the face of this franchise, he is the reason why the Baltimore Ravens have been able to be one of the most explosive offenses through the first three weeks. Offensive line injuries, an inexperienced receiver room, a rotating door at running back as J.K. Dobbins gets healthy — none of it has stopped Jackson from playing like an MVP quarterback and putting the Ravens on his back.
Not only is Jackson overcoming issues on offense, he’s not getting much help from his defense, either. The Ravens are currently allowing 6.5 yards per play on defense, good for 31st in the league. Still, the Ravens are 2-1 and would be undefeated if they didn’t blow a three-touchdown lead against the Miami Dolphins in Week 2. This team lives and dies by their quarterback — and he’s proving that he’s a damn good one.
Jackson is so far removed from proving his pre-draft doubters wrong about his ability to play quarterback. Not only has he proven he can be an effective NFL starter, to say the least — Jackson already has an NFL MVP under his belt from 2019 — he’s certified himself as one of the most dangerous offensive players in football. His accuracy has been outstanding this season, creating opportunities for a growing group of Ravens wide receivers. He’s been one of the best quarterbacks in the league against the blitz, and is second overall in expected points added per dropback (0.382) according to Ben Baldwin of The Athletic. Jackson also ranks seventh in dropback success rate (52.5%), which is the rate at which Jackson produces positive expected points on his plays.
Jackson hasn’t just proven his detractors wrong, he’s starting to master aspects of his game that were previously harped on as negatives. He’s become a quarterback that’s scary to face from the pocket with his accuracy and how well he’s seeing the field.
And of course, Jackson’s trademark ability to pick up yards with his legs has been on full display. Jackson is currently third in the NFL in rushing yards and has back-to-back 100-yard games. His presence is making Dobbins’ return to football easier while being arguably the most electric ball carrier in the entire league. This is unquestionably MVP-level play, and his team needs it in order to have a legitimate shot at winning.
Where does that leave the Ravens as an organization? It’s obvious that they need to pay Jackson, because he is the reason they’ll be able to flirt with playoff status as the rest of the team attempts to play up to their talent level and get back from injury. The Ravens can technically play the franchise tag game with Jackson after the season, but as things stand right now, he has all the leverage in the world to get a long-term deal done that’s closer to the guaranteed money he’s looking for.
The Ravens need No. 8 under center, and that becomes painfully obvious as each play, drive and game goes by. He’s the engine of the entire offense. It’s built around him and it’s working because he is simply an elite quarterback. An elite quarterback that forces the defense to play a complicated game based on his one-of-one skill set. Jackson’s contract is coming and it’s been absolutely incredible to watch the bet he made on himself and his own abilities pay off to this point.
