Lamar Jackson wins second career MVP award

Lamar Jackson was the best player in the NFL during the regular season, which won him the league’s MVP award at the NFL Honors ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday night.

The Ravens quarterback beat out Dak Prescott, Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy and Josh Allen for the award. It was not a surprise given he received 45 of the 50 votes in earning first-team All-Pro quarterback.

Jackson received 49 of 50 first-place votes in MVP voting, with Allen getting the other first-place vote. Prescott finished second (152 points), McCaffrey third (147), Purdy fourth (97) and Allen fifth (80). Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill, Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes, Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Browns edge rusher Myles Garrett also received votes.

Jackson also won the award unanimously in 2019, making him only the 11th player in NFL history to win the award multiple times. He joins Peyton Manning, Aaron Rodgers, Tom Brady, Jim Brown, Brett Favre, Johnny Unitas, Mahomes, Joe Montana, Steve Young and Kurt Warner.

Jackson set career highs in completion percentage (67.2 percent) and passing yards (3,678) and threw 24 touchdowns and ran for five. He ran for 821 yards.

The Ravens finished with an NFL-best 14-4 record.

Jackson, though, will head into 2024 under pressure to get it done in the postseason, where he is only 2-4 in his career. The Ravens lost to the Chiefs at home, 17-10, in the AFC Championship Game as Jackson went 20-of-37 for 272 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and he ran only eight times but for 54 yards.