Lamar Jackson is expected to break Michael Vick’s single-season rushing record next month.
The passing of the torch between Jackson and Vick was handled, at least virtually, on Tuesday.
Jackson, the Baltimore Ravens’ electric dual-threat star and NFL Most Valuable Player front-runner, will achieve a 96 speed rating when Madden updates its player ratings later this week. That’s the fastest ever for a quarterback.
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Vick, who held the previous record of 95, announced the “changing of the guard” on Twitter on Tuesday, and the “Madden NFL 20” Twitter account confirmed later.
“From one Madden legend to the next. @Lj_era8 takes the crown as the fastest QB in Madden history!” the account wrote.
In his post, Vick called it an “honor and privilege to be able to hand something off to the next generation.” He then showed a Nike cleat with the words “Not bad for a RB” inscribed below a Ravens purple swoosh.
Critics questioned whether Jackson had the throwing accuracy to play quarterback in the NFL, but he has quieted those skeptics, famously saying after the Ravens’ 59-10 Week 1 blowout of the Dolphins: “Not bad for a running back.”
Vick agreed.
“Now they’re eating their words,” Vick said in his Twitter video. “Lamar’s the modern-day, new-era quarterback. And well deserving of it.
“The changing of the guard is all good, man. All records are made to be broken. The next generation are supposed to be better than us. Got to give credit where credit is due. I say, it’s your turn now.”
Jackson has rushed for 876 yards, the fifth-most by an NFL quarterback in a season. He needs 164 yards to surpass Vick’s 13-year-old league record.
When Madden came out this year, Jackson’s low rating didn’t go unnoticed. He began with a 76 overall rating, which was tied for 24th among quarterbacks.
“I can’t feel no way. I don’t make Madden. It’s them,” Jackson said in July. “I feel like our team [ratings], they disappointed me. But it’s all good. We’re going to show them when the season comes.”
Madden typically updates its player ratings on Thursdays, based on the previous weekend’s games. Jackson’s update will come after the NFL MVP front-runner set several records in a Monday night thrashing of the Rams in Los Angeles. Among them:
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First player with five touchdown passes in a Monday Night Football debut, according to the Elias Sports Bureau
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Youngest player (22 years old) with multiple five-touchdown-pass games in NFL history
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First player in NFL history with four touchdown passes and at least 50 yards rushing in consecutive games
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First player with at least 3,000 passing yards and 1,500 rushing yards in his first two seasons in NFL history
Vick was in attendance at the L.A. Coliseum to watch Jackson.
The topic of Madden was broached with Jackson last week. He was asked if he would promise fans that he wouldn’t appear on the video game’s cover, which some believe has jinxed many players.
“I can’t promise that,” Jackson said, laughing. “I don’t believe in no curse. I play football. If it comes, it comes. Tom Brady was on the cover at one point. He still won Super Bowls.”
Jackson’s speed can be quantified beyond the video game. Since the start of last season, he has recorded 122 rushes with a max speed of at least 15 mph. That’s 31 more than any other player in that span, according to Next Gen Stats.
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