Two-time MVP and three-time Pro Bowler Lamar Jackson has won the award for Best Play at the ESPY Awards. The play in question was when Jackson caught his own pass after it was deflected up in the air by a Chiefs defender in the AFC Championship this past January. After Jackson caught the deflected ball at the line of scrimmage, he ran for about ten yards and a first down.
Called the “self catch”, it is considered one of the greatest plays in recent NFL history. The rarity and unexpected nature of the play are what make it so great. Quarterbacks have caught their own deflected passes before but you will be hard-pressed to find a QB who ran forward to catch a deflected pass and rush for a first down.
Lamar Jackson’s Self Catch Reaction
Color commentator Tony Romo said during the game about Lamar Jackson’s self catch,
“that was one of the greatest plays I’ve ever seen.”
Although that play did not lead to much as the Ravens punted on that possession and lost to the Chiefs in the AFC Championship, it was a marvel of a play and an incredible moment in an otherwise weak game for the Ravens.
Other Best Play Award Nominees
Along with Lamar Jackson’s winning play, the other nominees for the Best Play Award at the ESPYS were Minnesota Timberwolves guard Anthony Edwards for a posterizing dunk on John Collins of the Utah Jazz, Alabama quarterback Jalen Milroe’s Hail Mary touchdown pass to Isaiah Bond in the Iron Bowl, and Oklahoma softball player Jayda Coleman’s walk-off home run to send the Sooners to the College World Series.
Posterizing dunks, winning Hail Mary touchdowns, and walk-off home runs to send your team to a championship are cool and all, but catching your own pass off a defender’s deflection and making a first down out of it is something that you rarely see. An incredible play like a self catch is a play that is worthy of recognition at the ESPY Awards.
With this play, it showed that no matter if it’s passing, running, or catching, Lamar Jackson can do it all, and do it really well. Let’s just forget the rest of the game happened though. It is the play itself that matters with this award.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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