Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (9) is interviewed by sideline reporter Laura Rutledge in the third quarter of the NFL Preseason Week 2 game between the Washington Commanders and the Cincinnati Bengals at Northwest Stadium in Landover, Md., on Monday, Aug. 18, 2025. The Bengals won the game, 31-17. Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK via Imagn Images

Ravens' Division Rival Making Early MVP Surge

Originally posted on Baltimore Ravens on SI
By Henry Brown | Last updated Sep 1, 2025 3:00 PM ET

Lamar Jackson's upcoming MVP campaign is the rare award push that he's done very little to personally push outside of coming up short for the honor last season. Despite making First Team All-Pro, he lost out to an AFC foe in Joe Allen when it was time for voters to make up their minds.

He's favored to return to All-Pro glory and, naturally, his third MVP trophy, as what Allen accomplished last season was rare. He was just the third Second Team All-Pro quarterback to ever win the top individual distinction of the regular season, but it would appear that despite Jackson's likelihood of continuing to add to his resume this fall, his quest to fire back at his playoff match may be foiled by yet another rival of his.

The Athletic's Jeff Howe reported that a pool of the NFL's official decision-makers, including various executives and coaches, like Joe Burrow's chances of winning MVP a lot more than they prefer Jackson's case.

"Burrow left a mark last season as he nearly led the Cincinnati Bengals to the playoffs after a dreadful start due to a porous defense," Howe wrote. "Burrow led the NFL with 460 completions, 4,918 yards and 43 touchdowns. His 70.6 completion percentage was a career best, and he threw interceptions on just 1.4 percent of his passes, his best mark since his 10-game rookie season."

"Burrow just delivered the best training camp of his career, quietly guiding the Bengals into a highly anticipated season while staving off the summer injury bug that’s hit him in previous years. That’s why the voters believe Burrow will overtake Allen for the award."

Burrow pulled in nine votes from the preseason voters to lead the field, leaving Jackson and his five well in the dust. Having put up arguably the best statistics of any signal caller in 2024 without a playoff appearance to show for his efforts, the proven winner's time without an MVP may soon come to an end.

The Ravens star was similarly outdone by reigning MVP winner Allen as well as multiple-time winner Patrick Mahomes in his own bid for a bounce-back run. In yet another instance of the NFL's four-highest ranked quarterbacks getting lumped together, Jackson sees himself get passed up by his three closest peers.

The Bengals aren't getting taken very seriously as a real threat to win the AFC North, where the Ravens have constructed a perennial contender around their centerpiece. But as a purely-individually-ranked piece, Jackson has to watch out; Burrow's coming.

This article first appeared on Baltimore Ravens on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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