Lamar Jackson Shouldn't Be Ranked Below Dak Prescott
By Peter Dewey
Lamar Jackson has always had a chip on his shoulder, but he’s succeeded at every level, winning the Heisman Trophy in college before winning the NFL’s MVP award in 2019.
We’ve heard it all, the running back jokes, the questions around his throwing ability, but Jackson has proved people wrong at every turn. After a down season from his 2019 MVP campaign, Jackson has new bulletin board material after ProFootballFocus’ Bruce Gradkowski ranked him behind Dak Prescott in his 2021 quarterback rankings.
Prescott, who missed most of the 2020 season with an ankle injury, was the No. 7 quarterback on the list while Jackson came in at No. 8. Look, Prescott is a great quarterback, but over Lamar? C’mon now.
WynnBET currently has Jackson’s MVP odds for the 2021 season at +1500, which is tied with Prescott (+1500) and Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. Jackson didn’t put up as gaudy numbers last year as his MVP season, but he still threw for 26 touchdowns and added another seven on the ground. He also topped 1,000 rushing yards for the second consecutive season.
More importantly, Jackson finally won a playoff game and Vegas thinks he and the Baltimore Ravens will build on their success with a 10.5 win projection.
It’s surprising that Prescott is garnering so much praise after suffering a major injury, but Gradkowski is betting on Dallas’ playmakers to help Prescott have a monster season.
Jackson doesn’t have the same weapons as Prescott at his disposal, but the Ravens did take rookie wideout Rashod Bateman in the first round to help improve his supporting cast. Jackson has the rare ability to make home run plays every time a play breaks down, and he is far and away the best dual-threat quarterback in the NFL.
The Ravens’ offensive line will have some question marks after they traded away Orlando Brown, but Jackson has shown his entire career he can make something out of nothing in and out of the pocket.
If Prescott was coming off a monster year and Lamar regressed, I would completely understand this ranking. But to rank a guy who played in just five games ahead of a player one year removed from an MVP award seems like a stretch. If I’m taking either of these guys to win the league’s MVP, I’m rolling with Jackson and never looking back.