‘Like LeBron,’ ‘MVP’: Ravens laud Lamar Jackson after 5-TD night

TAMPA, Fla. — In making the case for a third NFL Most Valuable Player award, Lamar Jackson is apparently a triple threat now.

In addition to throwing five touchdown passes and rushing for 52 yards Monday night, Jackson showed off his latest skill — lead blocking for Derrick Henry in the  Baltimore Ravens’ 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Ravens ahead by 16 points (34-18) in the fourth quarter, Jackson saw Henry switch directions and ran upfield to push All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. out of the way to help Henry to a 39-yard gain.

“Lamar is the ultimate competitor,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said. “He lays it all out on the line every game. [He’s] just really awesome, and he’s the best. He’s the MVP.”

For the first time this season, Jackson has catapulted himself to being the betting favorite for NFL Most Valuable Player, according to ESPN BET. Jackson’s odds are now +275, which puts him ahead of  Kansas City’s  Patrick Mahomes (+475).

Jackson, 27, would become the youngest three-time NFL MVP. He previously won in 2019 and last season.

But Jackson, who’s the only two-time MVP to not reach a Super Bowl, wasn’t interested in discussing his individual accomplishments after the game.

“I’m chasing something right now,” Jackson said. “So each and every game is going to be the same thing for me. Every game, I’m trying to win.”

Jackson once again took over the game in leading the Ravens (5-2) to a fifth straight victory. Trailing 10-0 in the first quarter, Jackson led Baltimore on six straight scoring drives, which resulted in 34 unanswered points. During this run, Jackson threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman and then connected with Andrews for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth down.

In helping the Ravens score 27 or more points for the fifth game in a row — the longest current streak in the NFL — Jackson continues to put himself in a different class. This marked his third career game with five touchdown passes and at least 50 yards rushing. No other player in NFL history has more than one such game.

“It’s almost scary to see him getting better at this point,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He’s just one-of-one. If I had to equate it to somebody basketball-wise, he is like LeBron out there.”

While he has always been dangerous as a runner, Jackson continues to make strides in the passing game. He finished 17-of-22 for 281 yards and five touchdowns. This was his fifth career game with as many or more touchdown passes as incompletions, according to ESPN Research.

Through seven games, Jackson ranks fifth in passing yards (1,810), second in touchdown passes (15) and second in yards per attempt (9.1).

“He’s the best in the league,” Ravens defensive tackle Nnamdi Madubuike said. “If people don’t think so, they’re not watching football. They’re just hating.”

Jackson doesn’t think he plays any different in prime-time games, but he has raised his level of play in front of national television audiences. He now has 20 touchdown passes and no interceptions on “Monday Night Football,” which is the longest streak of touchdown passes without an interception ever on Monday night broadcast. 

“He’ll go down in the history of ‘Monday Night Football’ for sure,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “and he has a lot more to go.”