Getty Lamar Jackson during a game.
The Baltimore Ravens didn’t have the finish to the season most people expected after setting the NFL on fire much of 2020, but that doesn’t mean the accolades will quit rolling in this offseason for their key players.
Going into next season, the Ravens could have a player that makes it all the way to the cover of the video game in superstar quarterback Lamar Jackson. If that is indeed the case, Jackson could have to worry about a curse from the Madden video game perhaps plaguing him.
That might not be the case, however, as the Ravens site explained this week. Recently, Patrick Mahomes completed a season in which he won the Super Bowl and was the game’s MVP. He suffered injury in the middle of the year, but rebounded in time to drive the Chiefs forward and help them win.
If Jackson makes the cover, should he be worried? Maybe not after all. Here’s a look at what Ravens.com felt on the issue.
Could there be a certain Raven on the cover of Madden this year?
Jackson himself had a very succinct take that was presented.
“I don’t believe in no curse. I play football. If it comes, it comes but I’m playing football at the end of the day. Tom Brady was on the cover at one point and still won the Super Bowl,” he said in the clip.
Jackson could be considered to be on the game, and that decision could be an easy one for the folks at EA Sports to make. The quarterback was the unanimous NFL MVP and could be on the fast track to an elite NFL career as a result.
If he does make the cover, Jackson seems likely to embrace the honor.
Examining NFL’s Madden Curse
Through the years, the curse has gotten an almost mythical following amongst NFL fans due to several incidents which have been notable with players in terms of injury and who makes the cover. Perhaps the most notable recent example of the curse was Adrian Peterson going down in 2014. Peyton Hillis in 2011 also contributed to the curse. Other examples through the years are also visible, such as Brett Favre coming back after retirement, being put on the cover and struggling in 2009, Shaun Alexander getting injured in 2007, and Vince Young struggling in 2008 and getting relegated to a backup quarterback.
Obviously, with names such as Calvin Johnson, Brady, Mahomes and Rob Gronkowski all having solid seasons recently despite being on Madden, rumors of a slow in the curse could persist for Jackson if he ends up on the cover.
Lamar Jackson Stats
This season, Jackson was the epitome of a dual-threat quarterback and one of the leaders in the next generation of quarterbacks that will make waves in the league. After the action concluded last week, Jackson has put up 3,127 passing yards and 36 touchdowns through the air. On the ground, he has rumbled for 1,206 yards and 7 touchdowns. As a whole, the Ravens have managed to find the best of Jackson on the field. Arguably, he’s become the most obvious MVP candidate in the league given these types of things.
Since being drafted out of Louisville, Jackson has begun to rewrite the book in the league in terms of what a quarterback is and can be. The fact that he was a shoo-in as an All-Pro is a testament to how good Jackson has been in 2019.
Now, he is officially the unquestioned NFL MVP, something which could figure to land him on a Madden cover in the near future.
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