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Lamar Jackson has nearly clinched the top seed in the AFC, a feat fitting for most MVP winners. However, speaking on Fox Sports Radio, host Monse Bolanos caused a stir of accusations of racism over her argument as to why Lamar Jackson is not her pick for MVP. Here's how she put it:
"I want my quarterbacks to be quarterbacky. To me, Lamar Jackson's just a great athlete, and he had a great game against the 49ers. Prisoners of the moment, he is NOT the MVP. Christian McCaffrey IS the MVP."
The key word NFL fans are focusing on is "quarterbacky." Fans are equating the term with the color of Lamar Jackson's skin, claiming that the host is handing the MVP to Christian McCaffrey merely based on the difference in ethnicity.
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Lamar Jackson opens Week 17 with opportunity for massive milestones
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback has clinched his healthiest season since 2020. With one more start, it will be the quarterback's most starts in a season in his career as well. In a season that sees both feats, the quarterback is on the doorstep of clinching the first No. 1 seed of his career.
If he wins this week against the Miami Dolphins, decides to play in Week 18 and wins against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Jackson will have won the most games in a season in his entire career.
Of course, if the team locks up the top seed in the AFC this week, there is a massively diminished incentive to play Jackson in Week 18, especially with a recent history of December unavailability.
Jackson is a popular choice for MVP this season and has played some of the best situational football of his career. However, there remains room for improvement heading into 2024. The quarterback is set to wrap the year with far fewer touchdowns than in his best season in 2019.
In 2019, he threw for 36 touchdowns and six touchdowns. This year with two games to go, he has thrown for 19 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His rushing totals are also at risk of falling short of his best seasons in 2019 and 2020.
In his first full starting season after supplanting Joe Flacco, Jackson rushed for 1,206 yards and seven touchdowns. In 2020, he rushed for 1,005 yards and seven touchdowns. This year, he has rushed for 786 yards and five touchdowns. While he could still catch his 2020 numbers assuming he plays two more full games, his 2019 total would require more than 400 more yards in two games.
That said, even with his play not at the same level as he has played in the past, he's still the MVP in the minds of seemingly the majority of the public. Will Odell Beckham Jr.'s quarterback win the award?
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