WEST PALM BEACH, Fla. — Lamar Jackson was a near-unanimous choice for his second Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player award Thursday night.
The Baltimore Ravens quarterback and former Boynton Beach Community High School star received 49 of 50 first-place votes from a nationwide panel of voters that includes media members who regularly cover the NFL, former players and coaches.
Jackson led the Ravens (14-5) to the NFL's best record in the regular season, but they lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC championship game.
This is the second NFL MVP award for Jackson in four seasons. The 27-year-old is the fourth player to win his second MVP before turning 28, joining Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (27), former quarterback Brett Favre (27) and former Cleveland Browns running back Jim Brown (22).
Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen got the other first-place vote and finished fifth overall in voting.
Jackson threw for 3,678 yards and 24 touchdowns and ran for 821 yards and five scores while leading Baltimore to a record 10 wins over teams that finished with a winning record. He helped the Ravens rout Houston in the divisional round but struggled in a 17-10 loss to the Chiefs in the AFC title game.
Before winning the Heisman Trophy at Louisville in 2016, Jackson was a star read-option quarterback at Boynton Beach, where he threw for 2,263 yards and 31 touchdowns with nine interceptions and ran for 1,624 yards and 22 scores in two seasons with the Tigers.