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Jamison Hensley, managing editor of ESPN
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Lamar Jackson is on his way to becoming, as the Baltimore Ravens constantly put it, the later “MV3.”
Jackson is off to one of the best starts of his career, as the NFL’s Deny quarterback. 1 offense and accumulating numbers that could surpass those at the end of the season, when he was named MVP. If Jackson wins the award today, he would become the NFL’s youngest three-time MVP, but that’s not the story he thinks about.
“I don’t really care about the hype,” Jackson said later in Thursday’s filing. “I’m not going to insist on an MVP trophy or anything like that. I never have. Even when I won it, I never stopped at it. It was about trying to win every single game I play in. And I did it.” As of now, I’m still trying to win these games to get to February and win in February.”
Jackson, 27, is referring to the fact that he is 2-4 in the postseason and has yet to advance a week in the conference championship. Today he is one of two MVP winners who has yet to win a Super Bowl.
But Jackson has the Ravens (4-2) ready for another championship, winning four immediately before Monday night’s game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (8:15 p.m. ET, ABC/ESPN). He is seventh in passing (1,529 yards) and eighth in rushing (403), which puts him at an age to eclipse his season-ending numbers (3,678 passing yards, 821 rushes).
Jackson’s stellar numbers and notable performances on the field, like when he stiffed Bengals defensive end Sam Hubbard and threw a landing pass to Isaiah likely in Cincinnati two weeks ago, have heightened excitement for any other MVP. . trophy. The Ravens’ social media accounts have begun following Jackson as “MV3.”
“I feel like everything is slowing down even more,” Jackson said. “Only since [seven] I’ve been in the league for years and I’ve seen all kinds of defenses, all kinds of blitzes. It’s all just second nature at this point. So I’m trying to be a better player 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. Coming into Speed 7, Jackson is the second betting favorite at +550, behind first-place Patrick Mahomes (+325), according to ESPN BET.
“He’s always looking to get better,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said. “He is very perfectionist. He wants every play to be perfect. He pursues perfection in his football. But I think his attention is focused on the next play. [and] the next game.”
