NFL

Ravens QB Jackson named NFL MVP

By Sports Desk February 08, 2024

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson won his second Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player Award on Thursday.

Jackson, who won his first league MVP in 2019, was a near-unanimous winner, receiving 49 of 50 first-place votes. Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen got the only other first-place vote.

An overwhelming favourite to win the NFL's top award, Jackson led the Ravens to the AFC North title with a 13-4 record and the conference's top seed.

He accounted for 29 offensive touchdowns and led Baltimore in passing yards and rushing yards for the fifth straight season, throwing for 3,678 and running for 821 to become just the second player to pass for 3,500+ yards and rush for 800+ yards in a season, joining Kyler Murray in 2020.

The 27-year-old is now part of an exclusive group, becoming just the fourth player to win two MVPs before turning 28 years old, joining Patrick Mahomes (27) and Hall of Famers Brett Favre (27) and Jim Brown (22).

 

The MVP was one of eight AP awards handed out at the "NFL Honors" awards show on Thursday in Las Vegas - the site of Sunday's Super Bowl.

San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey won the AP Offensive Player of the Year.

McCaffrey, whose 49ers are facing the Kansas City Chiefs in the Super Bowl, led the league with 1,459 rushing yards, 2,023 scrimmage yards and 21 total touchdowns. 

The Cleveland Browns' Myles Garrett took home the AP Defensive Player of the Year award.

The All-Pro edge rusher had 14 sacks, 30 quarterback hits and 17 tackles for loss, and was the focal point of a Cleveland defence that allowed a league-low 270.2 yards per game.

Garrett was one of four Browns to win an award, as quarterback Joe Flacco won the NFL Comeback Player of the Year, narrowly beating out the Bills' Damar Hamlin.

Signed in November after being out of football, Flacco led the Browns to a 4-1 record down the stretch to help the franchise reach the playoffs.

Kevin Stefanski of the Browns won AP Coach of the Year, edging out the Houston Texans' DeMeco Ryans by one first-place vote.

Stefanski's defensive coordinator, Jim Schwartz, won the AP Assistant Coach of the Year award after directing the NFL's top-ranked defence.

Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud won NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year in a runaway, receiving 48 of 50 first-place votes. Los Angeles Rams wide receiver Puka Nacua got the other two.

Stroud, the No. 2 pick in the draft, led the Texans to the AFC South crown one year after the team won just three games. He finished eighth in passing yards with 4,108 - the third-most yards passing by a rookie in NFL history behind Andrew Luck (4,374 in 2012) and Justin Herbert (4,336 in 2020).

His teammate, Will Anderson, won Defensive Rookie of the Year after registering seven sacks, 22 QB hits and 10 tackles for loss.

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