Aaron Rodgers gives Lamar Jackson his flowers for passing game development
Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson is having one of the best seasons of any player in the NFL this year and maybe of all time. Jackson has already won two MVP awards and could be on his way to winning his third.
This season, Jackson has thrown for 3,580 yards, 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. He's completed 68.1 percent of his passes and has still been an effective dual-threat quarterback, rushing for 743 yards and three touchdowns.
Jackson's season has many impressed, including New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers. On Tuesday's episode of "The Pat McAfee Show," Rodgers raved about the season Jackson is having.
"Can we just not gloss over what Lamar is doing? He has 34 touchdown passes, I believe. And just three interceptions, I believe. And he's flirting with the all-time single-season passer rating record."
Rodgers then called out critics in the past who labeled Jackson as just a running quarterback, as he's shown he's an effective passing quarterback, year after year,
"This is from a guy who was just a running, just a runner, right? He could just run. That's all he can do, right? Just run. I love watching Lamar play and love to see his continual growth and how he changes the game. I mean, obviously, he's so dynamic, but he's really become such an elite passer."
While Lamar Jackson had a much better record as a starter last year (13-3) than this year (9-5), he's on pace to do better in almost every major QB stat. The Ravens would also be a wildcard playoff team if the regular season ended today.
NFL MVP odds: Who is the favorite, Lamar Jackson or Josh Allen?
Even with Lamar Jackson outpacing his MVP season from a year ago, Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is a big favorite to win league MVP.
As of this morning, according to DraftKings Sportsbook, Allen is a -900 (bet $900 to win $100) to win this year's MVP. Jackson has the second-best odds at +550.
This season, Allen has 3,395 passing yards, 25 touchdown passes and five interceptions. He also has 484 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. The Bills (11-3) are also the top seed in the AFC.
Jackson has 3,580 passing yards, 34 touchdowns and three interceptions. He has rushed for 743 yards and three touchdowns.
In total, Jackson has one more touchdown and has over 400 more total yards than Allen. With three weeks left and with their numbers very identical, it's surprising to see Josh Allen as a 9-1 favorite to win MVP.