Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had an incredible 2023 season. He led his team to an AFC North title and the best record in the league at 13-4. It should come as no surprise that he was the runaway winner for the league’s MVP award this season.
He completed 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards, throwing 24 touchdowns and only seven interceptions. The completion percentage and yardage were both career highs for Lamar Jackson, who remained an electrifying player with the ball in his hands on the ground as well.
Lamar Jackson ran the ball 148 times for 821 yards and five more scores, leading the Ravens in rushing yards this season. He led the NFL with 5.5 yards per carry as opposing teams had no answers for him once he broke through the line of scrimmage and was in the open field.
NFL News & Rumors: Lamar Jackson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, Baltimore Ravens Updates
The Ravens’ season came to a disappointing end in the AFC Championship Game, as they hosted for the first time in franchise history. The Kansas City Chiefs went into their stadium and won 17-10, taking full advantage of several miscues the team had.
Despite that underwhelming performance in the postseason, Lamar Jackson still took home the MVP award for the second time in his career. The first time he won it was in 2019, his first season as the full-time starter.
By taking home the award for the second time, he accomplished something no other NFL player has ever done and only one other athlete has ever achieved. He won the Heisman Trophy, NCAA Football’s highest achievement for a player at 19 years old and his second MVP at 27.
According to OptaSTATS, he is only the second player in the history of the NFL, NBA, MLB or NHL to win a collegiate player of the year award as a teenager and then multiple MVP awards. The other is the great Kareem Abdul-Jabbar.
NFL News & Rumors: Lamar Jackson, Kareem-Abdul-Jabbar, Baltimore Ravens Updates
Any time you are mentioned in the same sentence as Abdul-Jabbar, known as Lew Alcindor while playing collegiately at UCLA, you are doing something right. Abdul-Jabbar is considered one of the greatest basketball players in the history of the game, a true titan during his playing days.
Lamar Jackson has now achieved the same kind of individual success Abdul-Jabbar did, but he is lagging in team success. Abdul-Jabbar won 3 NCAA Championships and six more titles in the NBA; Lamar Jackson is still seeking his first with the Ravens.
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