The debate about whether or not an athlete is overrated will continue for as long as people have an opinion. However, the argument is on another level for quarterback Lamar Jackson.
The debates are growing stronger with the regular season winding down and the MVP talks heating up.
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback has already won the honor twice in his career. In the 2024 NFL season, Jackson has 43 total touchdowns and only four interceptions. He’s firmly in the MVP conversation entering the final week of the regular season.
So… why do people say he’s overrated?
While defenders of Jackson have pointed out a lack of a great supporting cast over the years, former NFL guard Mark Schlereth — now an NFL analyst for Fox — didn’t want to hear it in July.
“I do not want to hear from all of you out there that are telling me that Lamar Jackson, ‘Well, they don’t get him weapons,'” Schlereth said back in July in response to “Lamar Stans.” “How many first-round wide receivers do you need to draft?”
I’m tired of hearing from Lamar Stans! The Stink truth https://t.co/MIS6UUhAOK pic.twitter.com/klCnE846C5
— Mark Schlereth (@markschlereth) July 2, 2024
Longtime sports broadcaster and radio host Dan Patrick said in August that Jackson is overrated and referenced the lack of performance in the postseason.
“If you want to say ‘who is overrated?’, and this is going to sound strange, I would say Lamar Jackson. From the standpoint of he’s won two MVPs but has nothing to show for it when he gets to the postseason. When we look at the coverage you get, the attention you get, we wanna see what your quarterback does when he gets to the postseason. It’s not fair to him, but when we’re looking at ‘he’s a great regular season quarterback’, and then we look at ‘well, what do you do in the postseason?’ then you would find him ‘overrated.’”
The “overrated” conversations might have started before Jackon was drafted.
During the 2024 NFL Combine, Jackson wanted to work out strictly as a quarterback, not also at wide receiver coming out of Louisville. The dual-threat prospect immediately caused analysts to debate how his skillset would translate to the NFL. When the Ravens traded up for him in 2018, they adjusted their offense to suit Jackson.
Are the “overrated” comments because of playoff performance? Jackson is 2-4 with a 75.7 passer rating in the postseason, compared to a 102.1 career passer rating in the regular season. So, that’s surely contributed to the opinions of detractors.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Jackson enters Week 18 with the second-highest odds to win the NFL MVP award at +225, behind only Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen (-320).
