Ravens' Lamar Jackson discusses likely MVP victory

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson seemingly secured the second Most Valuable Player Award of his career via a dominant performance in Sunday's 56-19 blowout win over the Miami Dolphins.

Jackson didn't campaign for himself to earn the honor while speaking with Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated shortly after the victory that clinched the No. 1 seed in the AFC for the 13-3 Ravens. 

"If that’s what the voters say, I’ll run with it," Jackson humbly told Breer. "My goal is the Super Bowl. I’m going to be grateful for it if I do receive it. That’ll be the second one. I’ll be grateful. But I’m chasing something else. So I really don’t have a comment on it." 

Jackson, who first won the MVP Award for the 2019 season, made it look easy when he completed 18-of-21 passes for 321 yards with five touchdowns and zero interceptions against Miami. According to ESPN stats, the most important player for what enters Week 18 as the league's best overall team finished the weekend ranked fourth in the NFL with a 65.3 adjusted QBR for the season. Jackson is first among quarterbacks with 821 rushing yards, and he's contributed 29 offensive touchdowns (24 passing, five rushing). 

"It’s chemistry with Lamar," Ravens tight end Isaiah Likely told NBC Sports' Peter King about emerging as a top target after Mark Andrews went down with a serious ankle injury in November. "The goal is to get him to trust me, and it’s a blessing when it happens." 

As of early Monday afternoon, DraftKings Sportsbook listed Jackson as the overwhelming betting favorite at -20000 odds to win MVP. To compare, Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys was second at +1800. 

At that same time, DraftKings had the Ravens as the betting favorites at +150 odds to represent the AFC in Super Bowl LVIII. Anything short of a February trip to Allegiant Stadium would have to be considered a disappointment for Jackson and company.