Lamar Jackson will likely be named NFL MVP for his 2019 record-setting campaign during NFL Honors next weekend in Miami.
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback was a dual-threat maven this season, leading a multifaceted offense that befuddled defenses. In 15 regular-season games, Jackson completed 66.1 percent of 401 pass attempts, for 3,127 yards, 36 touchdowns to 6 interceptions, a 7.8 yards per attempt average, a 113.3 passer rating, and added a QB-record 1,206 rushing yards and seven rushing scores.
Perhaps no player improved from 2018 to 2019 as much as Jackson did as a passer and offensive leader. After getting blasted out of the playoffs once again, however, the young signal-caller knows he must make another leap from Year 2 to Year 3.
Asked Wednesday during the Pro Bowl in Orlando what he needs to work on, Jackson noted "everything."
"There's always room for improvement," he continued, via the team's official website. "I'm not the best. I'm not the greatest. I'm going into my third year and I'm trying to get somewhere. I'm trying to get to that Super Bowl, so I've got to work on everything."
Jackson later told NFL Network's Omar Ruiz that he's keying on the mental aspect of quarterbacking, emulating the likes of Tom Brady and Drew Brees.
"I'm trying to get deeper into the playbook, I'm trying to be on my Brady and Drew Brees stuff," he said. "I'm trying to make my mind grow a lot to help me out during the game."
Jackson improved leaps and bounds as a passer in 2019 and still has plenty of room to grow.
The talent the Ravens signal-caller possesses is field-altering. Now his goal is to pair that natural ability with an increased mental acuity as his NFL career progresses.
