Getty Lamar Jackson on the bench during a playoff loss.
Lamar Jackson is looking primed for a huge season on the field for the Baltimore Ravens, and many think that he will be primed to repeat as league MVP for next season.
Not everyone is projecting that actually happens, however. Recently, ESPN analyst Bill Barnwell took a deep dive in breaking down Jackson’s possible fortunes for 2020. As he said, Jackson had such a good year and had such health from his team in 2019 that it might be hard to repeat that come this season.
Barnwell explained:
“If only because it’s virtually impossible to improve on an MVP campaign, history suggests that Jackson will decline some this season. He threw touchdowns on 9% of his pass attempts last season, which was just the third time a player has managed that over a full season since the AFL-NFL merger in 1970. The other two guys are Peyton Manning and Aaron Rodgers, who were only able to do that once. It’s no criticism of Jackson to suggest that a 9% TD rate will be nearly impossible to replicate.
With that being said, barring serious injury, Jackson isn’t going anywhere. He’s going to present the same problems for opposing defenses in the years to come, and the Ravens are committed to building their offense around his dizzying array of skills. Asking for another MVP performance in 2020 is likely too much, but he should remain one of the best quarterbacks in football.”
Indeed, Jackson was near flawless last season which means he will have a tough act to follow this year. It’s possible he won’t be able to match what he was able to do, but the fact remains he will be tough to knock off the pedestal.
Colin Cowherd Picks Lamar Jackson to Win MVP
Why could Jackson go back to back? For some, it’s as simple as the players around him in addition to the talents of the quarterback himself. Fox Sports analyst Colin Cowherd thinks that Jackson is winning the award again in 2020, and the reason has everything to do with the surge the quarterback has recently made in his career.
In a segment of The Herd where he was picking superlatives for NFL players, Cowherd named Jackson “most likely to win the MVP award” and explained that he thinks things are going to get even better for Jackson this coming season in Baltimore.
Most likely to break up?
Best dancer?
Teacher’s pet?
@ColinCowherd hands out his NFL superlatives with @JoyTaylorTalks:
Cowherd explains:
“His growth from year 1 to 2 was phenomenal. He seems to be uniquely focused and let’s be honest, they are completely stacked in Baltimore,” Cowherd said. “They’re not paying Lamar Jackson anything. That’s the advantage to dropping in the first round as a quarterback. You don’t make as much money, but you get way better teammates. I have the Ravens winning the Super Bowl. Lamar Jackson’s going to be the MVP as his trajectory goes up.”
After a season in 2019 where Jackson did everything, having him pegged as the MVP for this coming season seems like a wise bet. After all, the only thing he hasn’t proven he can do is win in the playoffs. If Jackson is able to do that, his star will be strong for a while.
Lamar Jackson Connecting With Teammates This Offseason
Perhaps a reason Jackson remains favored for the award in the minds of many is the work he has done on the field during a strange offseason which has been altered by the coronavirus pandemic.
This offseason, Jackson has been working hard to connect with his teammates and keep things trending in the right direction in spite of great uncertainty. Recently, Jackson was spotted in a video with wideout Marquise Brown getting in a good workout.
Here’s a look at Jackson hitting Brown on a deep route:
👀 @Primetime_jet and @Lj_era8 are putting in WORK. 😈
The hope is that Ravens fans can see these players turn in the same type of plays with regularity this coming season on the football field. Brown is long considered one of the better players who could take a step up this season who is vital to the team’s hopes, and with this work, he could get himself easily into that mix.
The chemistry the top duo is creating will be huge for the 2020 season.
Lamar Jackson Stats
This past season, Jackson has been 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.
He figures to be just as good this coming year, even if he doesn’t take home the biggest award of them all once again.
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