NFL MVP stock watch: Aaron Rodgers deserves 3rd MVP

CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 03: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, ILLINOIS - JANUARY 03: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers (Photo by Quinn Harris/Getty Images) /
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CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 03: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to throw the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on January 03, 2021, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO – JANUARY 03: Lamar Jackson #8 of the Baltimore Ravens looks to throw the ball against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on January 03, 2021, in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Andy Lyons/Getty Images) /

5. Lamar Jackson, QB (Baltimore Ravens)

Last Week’s Ranking: Unranked

Highest Ranking of Season: 2nd (-3)

2020 Stats: 2,757 Passing Yards, 26 Passing TDs, 9 INTs, 64.4% Comp, 99.3 Passer Rating, 1,005 Rushing Yards, 7 Rushing TDs

Jackson endured a long, long hiatus from the MVP Stock Watch. He never played poorly, but compared to players like Russell Wilson, Josh Allen, Patrick Mahomes, and Aaron Rodgers, Jackson lived in a tier beneath for most of the season.

Quietly, though, he accrued numbers that were a junior version of his 2019 MVP season. Jackson was accountable for 33 touchdowns, which is terrific. He maintained his dual-threat personality on the football field, effectively doubling as a running back from a statistical perspective. It is no small feat for a quarterback to scamper over 1,000 yards. This is why Jackson gets the nod over Russell Wilson.

Of course, he was vital to the Ravens playoff push down the stretch. Perhaps an ordinary quarterback may flourish inside Baltimore’s offense, but Jackson can be perceived as the straw the stirred the drink on the offensive side of the ball.

Because of Jackson’s efforts, the Ravens will travel to Tennessee for playoff vengeance. The Titans shockingly dismissed the heavily-favored Ravens from the playoffs in 2019. Jackson gets another crack at Tennessee this weekend in the Wildcard round of the playoffs. He will face a Mike Vrabel-coached defense that largely and personally stifled him one year ago.