The San Francisco 49ers brought an 11-3 record and Most Valuable Player talk for two of their stars, QB Brock Purdy and RB Christian McCaffrey, to Levi’s Stadium for Christmas.
The Baltimore Ravens, however, brought a Christmas Day beatdown to the Bay Area. In the process, they saw QB Lamar Jackson catapult back into the forefront of the MVP race.
As the defense snatched five interceptions off both Purdy and backup QB Sam Darnold, the 2019 MVP Jackson finished off a proud 49ers defense with 297 total yards and two touchdowns in the 33-19 romp. And for the first time since that epic ’19 campaign, Jackson is officially at the center of the NFL’s MVP chatter.
‘MVP’ Chants Break Out for Lamar Jackson in 49ers’ Home Venue
Here, when the league realm knew Jackson was the new favorite for the NFL’s top individual honor, “MVP!” chants showered him at the 49ers’ home field.
MVP chants break out for Lamar Jackson as he leaves the field pic.twitter.com/DlOiBCr1s2
— Bridget Condon (@BridgetCondon_) December 26, 2023
One fan who watched the Christmas shellacking called out the population who believes Purdy is the odds-on favorite for MVP.
“Please don’t ever (and I mean this so disrespectfully) and I mean EVER tell me that Brock Purdy is better than Lamar Jackson. It’s not even close. Embarrassing yourself,” the fan posted on X (formerly known as Twitter).
Meanwhile, former teammate of Jackson, ESPN personality, and past Heisman Trophy winner Robert Griffin III, believes the MVP race has officially come to a close.
“Lamar Jackson SNATCHED the MVP Award tonight,” Griffin III said on X.
Finally, ESPN NFL insider Adam Schefter brought out this astonishing stat involving Jackson. He’s now 20-1 against NFC opponents.
Jackson Calls Out NFL Insider and Addresses MVP Talk
Jackson’s night began with a mental error. But it ended with dominance and him recalling what one NFL insider said about him.
MORE: PFN’s FREE NFL Playoff Predictor
Beginning with the former, Jackson was called for intentional grounding with under 10:30 to go in the first quarter, which led to San Francisco getting the game’s first two points.
This play resulted in a safety after the #Ravens were flagged for intentional grounding.
Lamar Jackson was also tripped up by a ref who was in the way 👀pic.twitter.com/qtQm3TVsqB
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 26, 2023
From there, Jackson showed off the dynamics that have made him one of the faces of NFL QB play.
Lamar Jackson extends the #Ravens lead❕ pic.twitter.com/VfztrmSkUx
— Pro Football Network (@PFN365) December 26, 2023
He even delivered this magic act by pulling off this sidearm throw.
Air Lamar 🎯
📺: #BALvsSF on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pkwa8SXokx pic.twitter.com/t7NucRi2D3— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2023
The 49ers were supposed to field one of the deepest defensive line rotations for Jackson. They’ve made their living pummeling QBs and have emerged as one of the league’s best units. Still, Jackson showed his damage by land against them.
Lamar is one of one 🔥
📺: #BALvsSF on ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/pkwa8SXokx pic.twitter.com/dwXCrtm8fV— NFL (@NFL) December 26, 2023
Jackson ended his night completing 23 of 35 for 252 yards for two touchdowns. He also added 45 yards rushing on seven carries — averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
As for the previous heavy MVP favorite? Purdy got intercepted four times and finished 18 of 32 passing for just 255 yards.
How is the past recipient of the MVP nod handling the resurfacing discussion of him winning it again?
“It’s cool. You know, I’m honored to be in the conversation,” Jackson told ESPN’s Lisa Salters postgame. “I have won. Now, we just got to keep winning and keeping what we got to do to get to February. That’s all.”
However, Jackson and the Ravens caught wind of this statement from NBC Sports NFL insider Mike Florio ahead of the anticipated MNF showdown.
“The 49ers will kick the s**** out of the Ravens. I’m sorry, I know that’s disrespectful to the Ravens, but let’s be realistic…the 49ers are going to dismantle the Ravens. If it’s a Super Bowl preview, the Super Bowl’s gonna suck,” Florio said on his PFT Talk show.
Clearly, Jackson had what Florio said on his mind, along with the rest of the Ravens. He was overheard calling out the league insider, as he walked out of the tunnel.
Sounds like Lamar Jackson took that prediction from Mike “Flores” Florio personally. pic.twitter.com/lAMgE0T2FI
— Ryan Mink (@ryanmink) December 26, 2023
Want to predict the rest of the 2023 season with our FREE NFL Playoff Predictor? Looking for the most up-to-date NFL standings? What about a breakdown of team depth charts or the NFL schedule? Pro Football Network has you covered with that and more!
This website aggregates and curates news articles, blog posts, and other content from a variety of external sources. While we aim to link back to the original source, this site does not own or claim ownership of any articles, posts, or other content indexed on this site. The views, opinions, and factual statements expressed in each piece of aggregated content belong solely to its respective author and publisher. We make no representations or warranties regarding the accuracy or completeness of aggregated content. Visitors are advised to verify facts and claims through the original source before reuse or redistribution.
