On the afternoon of Thursday, Jan. 6, I was prepared to write an article about Lamar Jackson getting his third NFL MVP award. I was ready to tell the world that this solidifies Jackson’s career and how, even now without a championship, he is a first-ballot Hall of Famer.
On Thursday evening, however, the MVP voters felt differently. After overwhelmingly voting for Jackson for first team All-Pro, the exact same voters went the other way for the league’s top award. Bills quarterback Josh Allen won narrowly, with 27 first-place votes over Jackson’s 23 first-place votes.
The voters basically sent a message to myself and others who were surprised by the outcome. We simply had too much dip on our chip.
The voters basically sent a message to myself and others who were surprised by the outcome. We simply had too much dip on our chip.
As Jackson falls short of consecutive MVPs, the question has shifted from “how” to “why.” The answer may be simple: Jackson is simply a victim of his own success.
What we’ve seen from Jackson in his seventh NFL season has been nothing short of spectacular. A guy who many thought should change positions on the pro level has now revitalized the quarterback position. What Michael Vick started over 20 years ago, Jackson has epitomized. Never before have we seen a quarterback throw for over 4,000 yards, throw for over 40 touchdowns, and rush for over 900 yards in a single season. Jackson has created his own lane that many will try to duplicate moving forward.
There’s no doubt that Josh Allen did more with less and deserved to be in the conversation. After the departures of Stefon Diggs and Gabe Davis, many thought that the Bills would finish second or even third in the AFC East, behind the likes of the loaded Miami Dolphins and the Aaron Rodgers-led New York Jets. But the Bills finished the season as the second overall seed in the AFC and advanced to the AFC championship.
“There was no question that Josh Allen had a great season and should be mentioned as having a great season,” former Ravens wide receiver and Super Bowl XXXV champion Qadry Ismail says. “But [this is] a historic season for Lamar Jackson across the board. He really faced every single playoff team and, outside of a toe, beat them all,” referring to Isaiah Likely’s catch in the back of the end zone in week one’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.
This offseason, Ravens GM Eric DeCosta bolstered their already stout running game by adding Derrick Henry to the backfield. The pairing was magical, as the Ravens finished as one of the most prolific offenses in NFL history. But many people have used the signing as a reason why Lamar isn’t the MVP. The reasoning, pundits have said, is that Lamar became greater because his personnel was upgraded in the offseason. And while there is no argument in that—\great players should make great players better—it shouldn’t be a detriment or a knock on one’s success because a GM did his job of making his roster better.
Lamar has essentially become a prisoner of his own achievements. A guy who many thought would be a gadget player at best, has now defeated the odds and stereotypes created against him. And now, because people finally understand how great Jackson is, he is not rewarded because this is suddenly “expected of him.”
Ismail goes on to say that Bills fans shouldn’t celebrate this award. “If you’re a part of Bills Mafia, you have to be embarrassed by the fact that they gave your quarterback a participation trophy, rather than earning it and just flat out dominating [the league],” he says. “You know what an MVP looks like, and to be named first team All-Pro but somehow not win the MVP is laughable today.”
It’s possible that Jackson doesn’t even care. He’s gone on record numerous times to tell the world that he wants a Super Bowl. In his very first interview after being drafted by the Ravens, he said, “They’re gonna get a Super Bowl out of me.” And look, he’s won the highest award twice already. Winning a third is great, but he’s been there and done that. But to allow Jackson to come up empty-handed after the season he had is not okay. It’s wrong. And Jackson deserved the recognition that his historic season gave us.
Jackson has become a victim of his own success. And the MVP voters proved that to be true on Thursday night.
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