Lamar Jackson will win the MVP award. He won’t win the Lombardi Trophy.
No quarterback has won the MVP award and the Super Bowl in the same season since Kurt Warner in 1999.
Jackson’s performance Saturday, and the resulting upset loss by the Ravens, doesn’t diminish anything the quarterback did during the regular season. He deserves the MVP. He was the best player on the best team in the regular season.
He was not the best player — and the Ravens were not the best team — Saturday.
Jackson lost a fumble, threw two interceptions and was stopped short on two fourth-and-one quarterback sneaks, while Titans running back Derrick Henry ran for 195 yards and threw a touchdown pass.
“We just beat ourselves,” Jackson said, via NFL Media. “We had, well, I had a lot of mistakes on my behalf. Three turnovers, that shouldn’t happen. They came out and played. We just started off slow. We’ve just got to do better next time.”
Jackson piled up the yards, throwing for 365 and running for 143.
His 508 yards proved empty as Jackson fell to 0-2 in the postseason, both home losses. But Peyton Manning went 0-3 in his first three postseason games.
Jackson just turned 23 and should have plenty more chances in the postseason.
“I don’t really care about what they say,” Jackson said. “This is my second year in the league. Many people don’t be able to make it to the playoffs. I got a great team with me. We don’t really worry about what other people say. We’re just going to keep going, get ready for next year.”
It doesn’t take the sting out of this season, though. After losing only two regular-season games, none since Week Four, the Ravens are one-and-done.