Lamar Jackson Wins 2023-24 NFL MVP Award over Christian McCaffrey, Brock Purdy, More

For the second time, Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson has won the Associated Press' NFL MVP Award, which was announced during the NFL Honors ceremony in Las Vegas on Thursday.

Jackson was a near-unanimous winner, with 49 of 50 first-place votes going to him for the honor. Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen received the last first-place vote.

This year's MVP finalist group featured five worthy candidates: Jackson, Allen, Dallas Cowboys signal-caller Dak Prescott and a pair of San Francisco 49ers teammates (quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey).

Jackson ended the regular season as the clear MVP favorite. He earned that honor after leading the Ravens to a dominant 33-19 win over the host 49ers on Christmas Day in a battle of the NFL's No. 1 seeds. Jackson posted a clean 23-of-35 outing for 252 yards and two scores in addition to 45 rushing yards.

He was excellent all season, though. Baltimore went 13-3 in his starts, and the six-year veteran accounted for 29 touchdowns (24 rushing, five passing). He completed a career-high 67.2 percent of his passes for 3,678 yards (8.0 yards per attempt). Jackson finished as a first-team All-Pro, and he rushed for 821 yards as well.

Thanks largely due to his efforts, the Ravens earned the AFC's No. 1 seed.

Prescott enjoyed the best regular season of his eight-year NFL career. He amassed league highs of 36 touchdowns, 410 completions and a 72.7 QBR. Prescott also completed a career-high 69.5 percent of his passes for 4,516 yards.

He earned second-team All-Pro honors and a Pro Bowl appearance thanks to his efforts. In addition, Dak's Cowboys went 12-5, won the NFC East and earned the conference's No. 2 seed while sporting the league's top scoring offense.

In Buffalo, Allen orchestrated an incredible second-half run. The Bills sat 5-5 after 10 games and were long shots for the AFC East and on the outside looking in for the playoffs. However, Buffalo won six of its final seven games (including its last five).

During that stretch, Allen accounted for 18 touchdowns (10 passing, eight rushing), 1,706 passing yards and 278 rushing yards. The Bills stormed up the standings, won the AFC East and earned the conference's No. 2 seed thanks largely to his heroics. Allen ended up finishing the season with a career-high 44 touchdowns (29 passing, 15 rushing).

Purdy suffered a complete tear of the UCL in his right elbow during the 2022 NFC Championship Game, but he was able to return healthy in time for the 2023 season.

The last pick in the 2022 NFL draft proved that performance during his rookie year was no fluke.

He threw for 31 touchdowns (11 interceptions) while completing 69.4 percent of his passes for 4,280 yards (9.6 YPA). Purdy led the NFL in touchdown percentage (7.0 percent), yards per attempt, quarterback rating (113.0) and QBR (72.7). Thanks largely to his efforts, the 49ers finished 12-5 and earned the NFC's top seed.

His teammate and fellow MVP finalist, running back Christian McCaffrey, was impressive in own right. In his first full year with the 49ers, McCaffrey led the NFL with 2,023 yards from scrimmage and 21 touchdowns. His 1,459 rushing yards also led the league.

By the end of the season, McCaffrey clearly established himself as the top offensive player (non-quarterback) in football. The seven-year veteran has now gained 10,505 yards from scrimmage and scored 81 touchdowns during his career, which has seen him lead the NFL in yards from scrimmage and scores twice.

CMC didn't leave Thursday empty-handed, though, as he won the AP's Offensive Player of the Year award.

All five candidates sported MVP resumes, but in the end, it was Jackson who earned the league's most prestigious honor for the second time after first winning it in 2019.