TAMPA, Fla. – In his bid for a third NFL Most Valuable Player award, Lamar Jackson is now apparently a triple threat.

In addition to throwing five touchdown passes and rushing for 52 yards Monday night, Jackson showed off his newest skills: lead blocking for Derrick Henry in the Baltimore Ravens’ 41-31 victory over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. With the Ravens leading by 16 points (34-18) in the fourth quarter, Jackson saw Henry change direction and ran onto the field to catch All-Pro safety Antoine Winfield Jr. pushing it out of the way for a gain of 39 yards.

“Lamar is the ultimate competitor,” Ravens tight end Mark Andrews said. “He puts everything on the line every game. He’s just really great, and he’s the best. He’s the MVP.”

For the first time this season, Jackson has catapulted himself into the betting favorite for NFL Most Valuable Player, according to ESPN BET. Jackson’s odds are now +275, which puts him ahead of Kansas City’s Patrick Mahomes (+475).

Jackson, 27, would become the youngest three-time NFL MVP. He previously won in 2019 and last season.

But Jackson, the only two-time MVP not to reach the Super Bowl, wasn’t interested in discussing his individual performance after the game.

“I’m chasing something right now,” Jackson said. “So every match will be the same for me. Every match I try to win.”

Jackson once again took control of the game by leading the Ravens (5-2) to a fifth straight victory. Trailing 10–0 in the first quarter, Jackson led Baltimore on six consecutive scoring drives, resulting in 34 unanswered points. During this run, Jackson threw a 49-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Rashod Bateman and then connected with Andrews for a 4-yard touchdown on fourth down.

By helping the Ravens score 27 or more points for the fifth straight game — the longest current streak in the NFL — Jackson continues to put himself in a different league. This marked his third career game with five touchdown passes and at least 50 yards rushing. No other player in NFL history has played more than one such game.

“It’s almost scary to see him getting better at this point,” Ravens safety Kyle Hamilton said. “He’s just one-of-one. If I had to compare it to anyone basketball-wise, he’s just like LeBron.”

While he has always been dangerous as a runner, Jackson continues to make strides in the passing game. He finished 17 of 22 for 281 yards and five touchdowns. According to ESPN Research, this was his fifth career game with as many or more touchdown passes as incompletions.

Through seven games, Jackson ranks fifth in passing yards (1,810), second in touchdown passes (15) and second in yards per attempt (9.1).

“He’s the best in the league,” Ravens defensive tackle Namdi Madubuike said. “If people don’t think that, they don’t watch football. They just hate.”

Jackson doesn’t think he plays any differently in primetime games, but he has elevated his level of play in front of a national television audience. He now has twenty touchdown passes and no interceptions on Monday Night Football, which is the longest streak of touchdown passes without an interception ever on Monday Night Football.

“He will certainly go down in ‘Monday Night Football’ history,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said, “and he has a lot more to go.”