Garrett Smith
Last night, during the NFL Honors ceremony, everyone in attendance eagerly anticipated the announcement of the winner of the NFL’s 2024 Most Valuable Player Award. After a grueling season of fighting for a spot in the Super Bowl, all the league’s players gathered to honor those who stood out for their exceptional performance both on and off the field.
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Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens has been selected for his second MVP, sparking an outcry from fans across the league. Although Jackson was voted the league’s most valuable player, he ranks 15th in the league in passing yards with 3,678 and has only thrown 24 passing touchdowns compared to the league leaders’ 36.
Lamar Jackson wins his 2nd MVP!
— B/R Gridiron (@brgridiron) February 9, 2024
(via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/jAtBZzkp6D
Many fans of Jackson argue that this is due to the value in his mobility as a quarterback. However, even if his rushing touchdowns are added to his passing touchdown total, he still only has 29 total touchdowns.
While 49ers last pick in the draft quarterback, “Mr. Irrelevant”, Brock Purdy beat Jackson in nearly every major category for quarterbacks stats, and has led his team to the Super Bowl, he did not win MVP.
Should Brock Purdy have been the MVP…
— MLFootball (@_MLFootball) February 9, 2024
He HAD BETTER STATS in every major category than Lamar Jackson pic.twitter.com/SvhXNGnPNi
Another defense of Jackson often made is that Brock Purdy has a super team, which only requires him to do so much to win games. However, the best comparison for team strength with the San Francisco 49ers would be the Baltimore Ravens. Both teams have incredible defensive and offensive weapons, as well as a great coaching staff.
Despite having the same number of career playoff wins as Dak Prescott, who has been maligned by NFL media for his inability to show up in the playoffs, Lamar Jackson continues to receive the benefit of the doubt from media and analysts.
As an NFL fan, I believe that the Most Valuable Player award, which is typically given to a quarterback, should have been awarded to Brock Purdy based on every metric. Not only did he lead Jackson and the rest of the NFL quarterbacks in most statistics, but he also led his team to the Super Bowl.
