Ravens' Lamar Jackson Not Focused on Passer Record

Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has another chance to make history this season.

Dec 21, 2024; Baltimore, Maryland, USA; Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson (8) throws from the pocket during the first half against the Pittsburgh Steelers at M&T Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images / Tommy Gilligan-Imagn Images

Baltimore Ravens superstar Lamar Jackson is having the best season of his illustrious career, and even that feels like an understatement.

There are no shortage of stats to illustrate the ridiculous season that Jackson is having, but perhaps none more so than his passer rating. At 121.6, Jackson currently boasts the second-highest single-season passer rating in NFL history. New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers holds the record at 122.5, which he set during his first of four MVP seasons as a member of the Green Bay Packers in 2011.

If Jackson posts a passer rating of 134.4 or higher, which he's done seven times this season alone, in Saturday's regular season finale against the Cleveland Browns, he will break Rodgers' record. While that would be another incredible achievement in a career full of them, Jackson isn't really focusing on it right now.

"If I'm in my childhood mindset [with] breaking a record, yes," Jackson told reporters Tuesday. "But I'm trying to win games, so it really [doesn't] matter. If it happens, it happens. If it [doesn't, it] probably will happen sometime down the line."

Jackson answers pretty much any question about personal accolades this way, and with an AFC North title on the line in this game, it's unsurprising to see him answer the same way again.

Still, there's no denying how impressive this achievement would be, not just in its own right, but in regard to Jackson's MVP campaign. Every player to ever record a single-season passer rating of 120 or higher, being Rodgers in 2011 and 2020 (121.5) and Peyton Manning in 2004 (121.1), has gone on to win MVP. Not only reaching that mark, but breaking the single-season record would make it very hard to deny Jackson his third MVP.

The 27-year-old is in a fierce battle with Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen for the award, but he's the clear choice in the eyes of his teammates.

"I get to see Jackson every day [and] the things he's able to do, and then carrying it over to the game," center Tyler Linderbaum said. "He's just a special player. He's extremely fun to play with – just the things he's able to do – and think there's no one more deserving of that award than Lamar Jackson."

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