Lamar Jackson ran toward the goal line, nonchalantly stopped at the 1, and quickly crossed the plane with the football for a 10-yard touchdown run.
Jackson’s 40-yard touchdown pass to Rashod Bateman just before halftime, gave the Ravens a lead they never relinquished. His touchdown pass to Mark Andrews, and a 51-yard touchdown run by Justice Hill put the game away in the fourth quarter.
Jackson and the Ravens got back on track, rebounding from their Week 11 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers, with a 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Was Jackson’s performance enough to seize the top spot in the MVP race?
Here are our USA TODAY Sports’ NFL MVP rankings after Week 12:
NFL STATS CENTRAL: The latest NFL scores, schedules, odds, stats and more.
5. Eagles QB Jalen Hurts, stock even
Jalen Hurts did just enough to stay in fifth in our MVP rankings. And by just enough, we mean hand the ball off to Saquan Barkley.
The Eagles’ star running back scored two touchdowns of 70 yards or more during the 37-20 win over the Rams on Sunday night. The Eagles gained 481 yards, and 255 of them were on the ground by Barkley, while Hurts threw a touchdown pass and completed 15 of 22 passes for 179 yards in the win.
Does Barkley deserve the real MVP consideration here? Sure, but this is a quarterback award. Hurts has also taken advantage of his share of tush-push touchdowns to boost his case this season, and has one more rushing touchdown than Barkley (11 to 10) through Week 12.
Hurts is in the Top 10 with a 69.1 completion percentage, 102.3 passer rating, 63.7 QBR, while adding 13 touchdown passes for the 9-2 Eagles, who trail the Detroit Lions for the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoff race.
4. Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes, stock even
The reigning two-time Super Bowl champions – one week after their first loss of the season – found themselves tied with 1:46 left against one of the NFL’s worst teams stuck in rebuilding mode.
So, Patrick Mahomes did what Patrick Mahomes does. He put on his cape and saved the Chiefs. Mahomes shook free for a 33-yard run to set up Spencer Schrader’s 31-yard game-winning kick in a 30-27 win over the Carolina Panthers.
The Chiefs won how they’ve typically won games this season: It was the fifth time this season they won in the final seconds and their eighth victory by one score.
It was enough to keep the Chiefs with the best record in the AFC, and Mahomes’ MVP case steady after Week 12.
3. Lions QB Jared Goff, stock down
Jared Goff turned in another winning performance, completing 26 of 36 passes for 269 yards in Detroit’s 24-6 victory over the Indianapolis Colts. It was Detroit’s ninth straight win, keeping the Lions in the No. 1 seed atop the NFC playoff standings.
The Lions relied on two rushing touchdowns by Jahmyr Gibbs, and a rushing touchdown by David Montgomery to cruise to their 10th win of the season.
Goff has the second-best completion percentage in the NFL at 72.9, just behind Miami’s Tua Tagovailoa. His 20 touchdown passes are fifth in the NFL, while his 9.0 yards per attempt lead the league.
If Goff can turn some of his touchdown handoffs into touchdown passes, his MVP case would improve greatly.
2. Bills QB Josh Allen, stock down
The Bills (9-2) were on a bye in Week 12 and host the struggling San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football this week.
Sorry, Josh. The MVP race waits for no one. But you’ve got a good chance to regain the top spot next week.
1. Ravens QB Lamar Jackson, stock up
Jackson threw two touchdowns and ran for another in Baltimore’s 30-23 win over the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football.
Jackson leads the NFL with 27 touchdown passes (tied with Joe Burrow), while also leading the league with 3,053 passing yards, a 75.9 QBR and a 117.9 quarterback rating.
The stats, undeniably, put Jackson ahead of the competition for what could be his third NFL MVP.
It was a nice bounce-back game for Jackson and the Ravens, who fell 18-16 to the Steelers last week. They face Hurts and the Eagles in Week 13 in a game that could heavily influence the MVP conversation this season.
