Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson and Cincinnati Bengals signal caller Joe Burrow are part of the closest NFL MVP race in recent memory as the leagues enters its final week
While Lamar Jackson captured his fourth Baltimore Ravens team MVP honor to put him one step closer to a third NFL MVP award, Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow admitted the honor may be out of his grasp.
Despite a historic offense season and a furious comeback to climb back into the playoff picture, Burrow admitted “Usually you got to win your division” to win MVP – this puts AFC North leader and Ravens quarterback Jackson in a pole position to claim the honor.
Jackson and the 11-5 Ravens would capture the AFC North with a win over the tanking 3-13 Cleveland Browns on Sunday. “It means a lot to my home team,” the Baltimore quarterback said of the team MVP award. “My teammates appreciate this a lot.”
Burrow leads the league in both passing yards with 4,641 and passing touchdowns with 42, but both Josh Allen and Jackson remain ahead of him per most MVP odds. After Cincinnati’s dramatic 30-24 overtime win over the Denver Broncos to keep their postseason hopes alive, Burrow was serenaded with “MVP” chants by the home faithful.
He acknowledged he heard them and admitted he “will win” the award one day, “but not this year…usually you got to win your division. It is what it is. That’s how it’s voted. I don’t necessarily disagree with it.”
The Bengals limped to a 4-8 record to start the campaign due to poor performance in close games and a leaky defense. Cincinnati started the year 1-7 in one-score games but has recovered to win their next two. They are now 8-8 and could still sneak into the playoffs if results go their way in Week 18.
Joe Burrow was serenaded with MVP chants after his team’s overtime win over Denver last Saturday (
Image:
Getty Images)
The Bengals defense has allowed the sixth most points in the NFL, making every game for Burrow a shootout. His offense has done its part, scoring the fourth most points in the league.
“I don’t know how anybody can stand on the field and watch Joe Burrow and not say he’s the best player in the world,” Cincinnati coach Zac Taylor admitted. “The clearest thing I can say is I would not trade Joe Burrow for any player in the universe. To me, that’s MVP to me.”
Taylor is far from the only Burrow admirer. “If Joe Burrow takes this team to the playoffs I don’t even think it should be in question who’s MVP!! God damm! Best in the world rn!” Dallas Cowboys All-Pro Micah Parsons tweeted.
Jackson has already captured a pair of NFL MVP awards, though his 2024 season is arguably his finest from a counting stats perspective. The Ravs signal-caller has already thrown for 3,955 yards and 39 touchdowns – both career-highs. His QBR of 78.0 tops the entire NFL.
News
THEY CALLED MY LIFE “NOT WORTH PRIORITIZING”… UNTIL IT SHOWED UP ON THE EVENING NEWS IN THE UNITED STATES.
By the time Elena Ward turned into her parents’ circular drive, dusk had already lowered itself over the street in a soft blue haze, and the windows of the house glowed with the kind of deliberate warmth her mother had…
THANKSGIVING… BUT I WAS REALLY WALKING INTO AN AMBUSH
By the time Crystal turned onto Sycamore Lane, dusk had already settled into the bare branches, and the windows of her parents’ house glowed like amber squares against the early November dark. She slowed for a moment at the curb,…
THEY LAUGHED AT MY CALL SIGN IN A U.S. MARINE BAR—UNTIL I SAID TWO WORDS
He called me “sweetheart” in front of everyone… and had no idea he was seconds away from dropping his glass. I didn’t raise my voice, I didn’t flash rank, and I didn’t defend myself—because sometimes the quietest answer hits the…
THE SODA CAN THAT SHATTERED MORE THAN SILENCE AT ARLINGTON
The soda can struck the marble edge with a blunt metallic crack, spun once in the hard white sunlight, and burst against the pavement at the sentinel’s feet. Brown liquid fanned across the mat in a sticky arc and splashed…
HE THOUGHT HE WAS HUMILIATING A WOUNDED HERO IN FRONT OF EVERYONE… UNTIL ONE MAN WALKED IN AND TURNED HIS POWER INTO PUBLIC DISGRACE.
When Captain Mara Donovan first heard the judge say, “Take that decoration off,” she thought, for one strange and suspended second, that he must be speaking to someone else. The courtroom was too still for the words to feel real….
SAD NEWS: GMB hosts address ‘National Incident’ after tragic D3ATH ANNOUNCEMENT
An “explosive” meningitis outbreak is unprecedented, officials say. GMB hosts addresses ‘national incident’ after tragic death announcement (Image: ITV) Good Morning Britain presenters Susanna Reid and Ed Balls addressed the meningitis outbreak in Kent which is now being treated as…
End of content
No more pages to load
