Christian McCaffrey or Brock Purdy is the player with the highest value. Who do you have?
Kyle Shanahan, the head coach of the San Francisco 49ers, isn’t going to be duped into answering that difficult question, though. But Shanahan feels there’s only one option left: CMC, should Purdy or any other NFL quarterback fail to win the Associated Press NFL Most Valuable Player title at NFL Honors.
“I mean, are you trying to get me in trouble with those two guys?” When asked how to distinguish between McCaffrey and Purdy as MVPs while they are on the same team on Wednesday, Shanahan provided an answer via the team transcript. “That’s the only reason I wouldn’t overly comment on either one of them because I don’t want them to cancel each other out.”
Purdy has a much better chance of winning MVP just because he’s a quarterback. Since 2012, when Adrian Peterson of the Minnesota Vikings won the MVP award, no non-quarterback has received the honor. Peterson is the only non-quarterback to win the award this century, along with running back Marshall Faulk (2000; Rams).
But McCaffrey should be the one receiving recognition if it isn’t a signal-caller, according to his head coach.
“If any non-quarterback’s going to get a MVP, I don’t get how Christian McCaffrey can’t,” Shanahan said. “I mean, he’s amazing in what he has done all year. If it’s going to a quarterback, then I don’t have to talk about Christian. I can talk about our quarterback. If his numbers is all you see, then I think that solves it up. But, if you watch the film, then it makes it even stronger, which to me is the most important thing.”
In a field that includes, among others, wide receiver Tyreek Hill of the Fins, Miami Dolphins signal-caller Tua Tagovailoa, quarterback Dak Prescott of the Dallas Cowboys, and quarterback Lamar Jackson of the Baltimore Ravens, Purdy and McCaffrey both have strong cases.
With 3,553 yards, 25 touchdowns, and only seven interceptions through his pass, Purdy leads the NFL in completion percentage (70.2), rating (116.9), QBR (74.7), and average yards per attempt (9.9). According to NFL Research, the latter is the greatest in a single season ever.
Regarding CMC, he leads the NFL in both rushing yards (1,177) and scrimmage yards (1,614), demonstrating his versatility and dynamic nature. As he continues to set the pace for a second career 2,000-yard scrimmage season, his 17 scrimmage touchdowns rank second in the league and his 278 touches are the most.
Regarding CMC and his quarterback in the MVP race, Shanahan won’t call it, but he will undoubtedly call their numbers on Sunday. Together, the two MVP front-runners have helped the Niners become the first NFL team to secure a postseason spot this year. Purdy and McCaffrey have the opportunity to secure an NFC West championship and advance their MVP campaigns on Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.