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Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson went from being the last pick in the first round of the 2018 NFL draft to being recognized as the league's top player 21 months later.
Jackson was unanimously named the NFL Most Valuable Player on Saturday night, delivering the ultimate stiff-arm to critics who wondered whether he could play quarterback in this league.
Jackson received all 50 votes from media members to join Tom Brady (2010) as the only unanimous choices for the award.
At 22 years and 356 days old at the end of the regular season, Jackson became the third-youngest player to win the award. Only Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who was honored as NFL MVP in 1957 and 1958, was younger than Jackson.
In his first full season as an NFL starting quarterback, Jackson redefined the game's most important position, becoming the first player in league history to produce over 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. He frustrated defenses with his blazing speed and strong arm, leading the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and setting the league mark for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206.
Jackson carried the Ravens to a franchise-best 14-2 record and the team's first No. 1 playoff seed. But Jackson and Baltimore suffered a 28-12 upset loss to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round.
Jackson is not just the first Ravens player to capture the NFL MVP award; he is the first Baltimore player in 16 years to receive a single vote (Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis).
During the regular season, Jackson was virtually unstoppable, orchestrating the NFL's highest-scoring offense. He recorded one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback with his ability to shred defenses by juking defenders or throwing darts to the end zone -- and sometimes doing both on the same play.
Jackson is the first quarterback since 1940 to be the leading rusher on a team that finished the regular season with the best record, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. He is also the only quarterback to top the NFL in touchdown passes and finish in the top 10 in the league in rushing yards (he was sixth).
To put his season in perspective, take a look at this:
This past season, Jackson became the youngest quarterback to start at Pro Bowl.
Jackson was unanimously named the NFL Most Valuable Player on Saturday night, delivering the ultimate stiff-arm to critics who wondered whether he could play quarterback in this league.
Jackson received all 50 votes from media members to join Tom Brady (2010) as the only unanimous choices for the award.
At 22 years and 356 days old at the end of the regular season, Jackson became the third-youngest player to win the award. Only Hall of Fame running back Jim Brown, who was honored as NFL MVP in 1957 and 1958, was younger than Jackson.
In his first full season as an NFL starting quarterback, Jackson redefined the game's most important position, becoming the first player in league history to produce over 3,000 yards passing and 1,000 yards rushing in a single season. He frustrated defenses with his blazing speed and strong arm, leading the NFL with 36 touchdown passes and setting the league mark for rushing yards by a quarterback with 1,206.
Jackson carried the Ravens to a franchise-best 14-2 record and the team's first No. 1 playoff seed. But Jackson and Baltimore suffered a 28-12 upset loss to the Tennessee Titans in the AFC divisional round.
Jackson is not just the first Ravens player to capture the NFL MVP award; he is the first Baltimore player in 16 years to receive a single vote (Jamal Lewis and Ray Lewis).
During the regular season, Jackson was virtually unstoppable, orchestrating the NFL's highest-scoring offense. He recorded one of the best seasons ever by an NFL quarterback with his ability to shred defenses by juking defenders or throwing darts to the end zone -- and sometimes doing both on the same play.
Jackson is the first quarterback since 1940 to be the leading rusher on a team that finished the regular season with the best record, according to Elias Sports Bureau research. He is also the only quarterback to top the NFL in touchdown passes and finish in the top 10 in the league in rushing yards (he was sixth).
To put his season in perspective, take a look at this:
- There have been 654 instances of a player rushing for 1,000 yards in a season.
- There have been 126 instances of a player throwing 30 touchdown passes in a season.
- There is only one instance of a player achieving both feats in the same season: Jackson in 2019.
This past season, Jackson became the youngest quarterback to start at Pro Bowl.