NFL evaluator gives Ravens' Lamar Jackson bulletin board material

One so-called "NFL evaluator" gave Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson some bulletin board material while comparing Jackson to Cincinnati Bengals star Joe Burrow.

"Love the Ravens, but if all things equal, two-minute drill, I'm taking Burrow over Lamar," that evaluator told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler for a piece published Tuesday. 

Jackson has emerged as a legitimate Most Valuable Player candidate with the Ravens sitting at 7-2. According to ESPN stats, the one-time regular season MVP leads the NFL among quarterbacks with 440 rushing yards and is ranked sixth among qualified players with a 100.8 passer rating on the season. 

He's accumulated 14 total touchdowns (nine passing, five rushing) and tossed three interceptions over Baltimore's first nine games. 

To compare, Burrow is ranked 16th among qualified players with a 90.6 passer rating after he played with a lingering calf injury throughout the first half of the campaign. He's thus far thrown 12 touchdown passes and four picks for the 5-3 Bengals. 

"They are scary," one AFC executive said about the Ravens after they crushed the Seattle Seahawks 37-3 this past Sunday. 

"Baltimore is legit," an AFC personnel evaluator added for the ESPN piece. "Quietly, the defense always has been very respected, but to me the last two to three years it hasn't been as good. But this year's defense is matching up with just about anybody, and the new offense helps as well."

Fowler mentioned that "the consensus after an informal survey for way-too-early picks" regarding who will play in Super Bowl LVIII in February is that the Ravens will face the 8-1 Philadelphia Eagles. 

As of Tuesday afternoon, OddsChecker listed the Ravens third among the betting favorites at +900 odds to represent the AFC in the upcoming Super Bowl. The Bengals were second at +750 odds behind only the Kansas City Chiefs (+350). 

"They have an identity — they can always rush the passer, and they have multiple elite playmakers that Joe Burrow utilizes well," one AFC executive said about the Bengals. "That always travels. And they seem to peak late in the year."