Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson may have struggled in the loss to the Cleveland Browns, but that should not affect his MVP candidacy.
Amongst all superstars, he has been the most consistent, which is why his team is atop the American Football Conference North Division.
The odds of him getting the top individual award for the second time are high, third behind Jalen Hurts of the Philadelphia Eagles and Patrick Mahomes of the Kansas City Chiefs.
Why should Lamar Jackson win the MVP award?
1. AFC North is stacked, and he's at the top.
The Ravens' 7-3 record is separated by just one win over AFC North rivals Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns. The Cincinnati Bengals are also breathing down their necks with a 5-4 record.
Being able to do that is already a feat, as many pundits thought it would be the Bengals who would dominate the division after their 2023 playoffs showing.
They also dominated several teams, specifically great teams like Detroit Lions and Seattle Seahawks. These two teams only scored 9 points combined against Baltimore's 75.
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2. Jackson has pundits impressed.
NFL writers and analysts gave their mid-season awards, and Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens stood out the most.
Jeffri Chadiha, in his The First Read on NFL.com, wrote that the Ravens are the scariest team after 10 weeks.
He credited the team for leveling up whenever they face a formidable foe, which separates them from the best of the best.
"These are good NFL teams getting bullied in games they expected to compete in," he said.
"This is what gives Baltimore the edge over teams like Cincinnati, Philadelphia and Kansas City. When the Ravens have turned it on this season, they've gone to levels nobody else has reached thus far."
Jackson is also hailed as the mid-season MVP.
The 26-year-old has spent just three weeks in the Top 5 of MVP rankings, six less than Mahomes and Miami Dolphins' Tua Tagovailoa.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell thought his exploits and improved feels for the game allowed the Ravens to succeed.
Jackson is attuned to the team defense, which keeps him in control of their offense.
"Just based off the first half of the season, though, I believe he's the one left standing and the best player in football through two months," he wrote.
3. Arguments against Mahomes and Hurts.
If the MVP race goes down to a three-way battle, Jackson has a strong case statistically.
His 70.3 completion percentage is better than Mahomes' 68.6 and Hurts' 68.9.
Mahomes has the most passing yards and passing touchdowns so far, but Jackson has him beat on the passer rating at 98.1 percent.
He is doing more this season, too, as he makes 19 runs of 10 or more yards, the most of any passer. He has 47 gains in 10-plus yards, 14 more than the most runs in a single season.
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