Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson had a solid performance in a 56-19 victory over the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, boosting his chances to take home the NFL MVP Award.
The Ravens QB completed 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards and five touchdowns. He also had zero interceptions and finished with a perfect passer rating — the third of his career.
However, Amazon Prime Thursday Night Football analyst Richard Sherman isn’t willing to give the award to Jackson just yet.
Richard Sherman Doubles Down on Lamar Jackson MVP Take
Another player who has been in the mix of MVP conversations is San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey.
If McCaffrey were to surpass Jackson in the MVP race and win the award, it would be the first time since 2012 that a running back was named the NFL MVP when Adrian Peterson did so. On the year, McCaffrey has 1,459 yards rushing with 14 touchdowns and has added seven receiving touchdowns.
On Monday’s episode of “Undisputed,” Sherman broke down why he thinks the award should go to McCaffrey rather than Jackson. He started by crediting his phenomenal performance against the Dolphins but said it does not change anything for him.
“The fact of the matter remains the same for me, that that didn’t move the needle,” Sherman said of Jackson’s performance against the Dolphins.
“It was a fantastic performance by Lamar Jackson at a time his team needed it, was a statement game … but the five touchdowns in this game against the Miami Dolphins are almost as many as he had in the months of both September and November combined … so when you look at the full picture, I just don’t see it.”
He also made the point that Jackson’s 2023 season is not nearly as good as his unanimous MVP season back in 2019.
Jackson is currently tied for 10th in touchdown passes (24) and 13th in passing yards (3,678) this season. No quarterback has ever won MVP when ranking outside the top 10 in both touchdown passes and passing yards.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
“When he had his MVP season … he had 36 touchdown passes, and then you look at him having 24 this year. He had 1,200 rushing yards, he has about 843 or so this year,” Sherman said. “So, I don’t see it as the same in that respect. If the numbers aren’t there, there’s not much to say.”
Because he has under 30 touchdowns, Sherman also said he believes the award could be split this year between Jackson and Tyreek Hill or Christian McCaffrey. If he had to cast one vote right now, Sherman said he would give it to McCaffrey.
“I love Lamar Jackson as much as anybody; I’ve supported him the whole time,” Sherman said. “If he had his numbers that he had the MVP year, which was 36 touchdowns to six interceptions, then we would be shouting from the rooftops he’s the MVP of the league.”
After beating the Dolphins, Baltimore improved to 7-1 against teams with a winning record this season.
Jackson remains the favorite to win the MVP award as he has performed well in big games and powered the Ravens to the AFC North title and the No. 1 seed in the AFC playoffs.
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!