M&T Bank Stadium was supposed to be the site of a potential AFC title game preview between the Miami Dolphins and Baltimore Ravens. The game was bound to see either Lamar Jackson or Tua Tagovailoa seal their case as NFL’s Most Valuable Player.
In the end, it became the game that all but assured Jackson as the 2023 MVP and where the Ravens locked up the top seed in the conference in destructive fashion.
Jackson completed 18 of 21 passes for 321 yards and tossed five touchdowns in the astonishing 56-19 thrashing of the Dolphins. Jackson got many online believing he just won his second career MVP award.
‘The Jackson Five’ Takes on New Meaning in Describing Lamar Jackson’s Day
Jackson is far from a moonwalker or one to get crowds dancing like The Jackson Five, but he did give new meaning to The Jackson Five the moment he threw his final touchdown of the afternoon.
Jackson 5️⃣
Has #Ravens QB Lamar Jackson wrapped up the MVP conversation? 👀#RavensFlock | #NFL
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 31, 2023
The Ravens quarterback was then photoshopped on the iconic album cover featuring all five members of the legendary R&B group.
LAMAR JACKSON WITH FIVE PASSING TOUCHDOWNS
A JACKSON 5 pic.twitter.com/1e3QgfHG4e
— Kevin Oestreicher (@koestreicher34) December 31, 2023
But again, Jackson’s day likely ended the MVP conversation.
“Lamar Jackson likely just won his second MVP at age 26,” ESPN NFL insider Field Yates said on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Jackson was showered with “MVP!” chants once he walked off his home field.
MVP chants as Lamar Jackson leaves the field after another dominant win — Ravens 56 points is most they’ve ever scored here at M&T Bank Stadium. pic.twitter.com/sjmyYxPlAN
— Cameron Wolfe (@CameronWolfe) December 31, 2023
Jackson Addresses MVP Chants and Locking No. 1 Seed With Baltimore Ravens
Jackson has had quite the journey in this 2023 campaign.
It began with chatter that the 2019 MVP wanted out of Baltimore and yearned for more money. Fast forward to the last day of the year, and now Jackson and “MVP” have been paired together.
Jackson, though, chose the humble route in his postgame interview with Evan Washburn of CBS Sports. Washburn held up a newspaper headline that read how the Ravens are officially the top seed in the AFC playoffs.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
“It looks good, but we still have to take on the mindset, one game at a time. Gotta stay locked in,” Jackson told Washburn. “We’re playing like a Raven. We’re finishing games. Got to stay locked in. That’s been our mindset all season.”
But what about the MVP chants? Has Jackson tried to block that out?
“Makes me feel at home. I appreciate that. That’s all,” Jackson said.
Was This the “Perfect” Game for Jackson? John Harbaugh Weighs In
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh has grown used to watching Jackson destroy defenses by land and air, but as he’s coached Jackson, there was past criticism that Jackson never developed fully as a pure passer.
That critique got buried after Jackson’s epic day. But was it the perfect day from Harbaugh’s eyes?
“His performance was even better than last week,” Harbaugh told reporters postgame. “He played a really great football game. He played a perfect game in terms of the passing game. He was on point.”
The Ravens quarterback was not phased by an aggressive Dolphins defense. Jackson hit five of six passes when facing a Miami blitz — and racked up 171 yards and two touchdowns facing the rush, according to Next Gen Stats.
Jackson’s December ends with a combined 11 touchdown throws and just two interceptions, and that was against a gauntlet of playoff hopefuls including one romp of the NFC’s top seed the San Francisco 49ers.
Now, he just got the rest of the league believing the league’s top individual honor will have his name carved on there.
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