Houston Texans quarterback Deshaun Watson gave Baltimore Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson a special message following the Ravens’ 41-7 win over Houston on Sunday afternoon at M&T Bank Stadium.
The Pro Bowl field general, who faced Jackson back in college when they were in the ACC, with Watson at Clemson and Jackson at Louisville, wrote “MVP” on his jersey that he swapped for Jackson’s.
“I just wrote, ‘Always love. Keep going, keep grinding,'” Watson told reporters after the game. “I wrote ‘MVP’ on it. He’s like a brother to me. I’m proud of him. That’s what I told him and to keep going and stay healthy and keep leading his team.”
For Watson, writing “MVP” on Jackson’s jersey was about the respect and admiration that he has for the 32nd overall pick from the 2018 NFL draft.
“It’s love,” said Watson. “It’s all respect. He played well today. So, there’s a lot of season left. Who knows what can happen?”
The favorites to win the MVP race, in Watson’s mind, are Jackson, Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey, Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson and himself.
Said Watson: “This game is about brotherhood. Who knows how long we’ll get to play? I have a lot of peace with my heart and my mind. So, yes, today didn’t go our way and it’s going to have a lot of criticism, but at the end of the day, that’s not going to stop what I’m doing and what I continue to do and waking up blessed, happy, walking, being able to do what I love to do at a high level.”
Watson didn’t play at a high level against the Ravens, going 18-of-29 for 169 yards and an interception. The next time Houston would get a chance to play Baltimore would be in the playoffs, and Texans fans are hoping Jackson is writing “Super Bowl MVP” on Watson’s jersey after the next swap.
