After securing their second consecutive NFC West division crown with a resounding 45-29 victory over the Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey found himself receiving noteworthy support in the race for the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award. Quarterback Brock Purdy, a leading contender for the same accolade, took a moment to express his endorsement rather than presenting arguments for McCaffrey’s MVP case.
Purdy, known for deflecting praise, acknowledged McCaffrey’s pivotal role in their success, stating, “I think Christian should be MVP. He does everything for us… and so, in my eyes, that’s an MVP.” This endorsement carried weight, especially considering Purdy’s own candidacy for the award.
Despite briefly leaving the game in the second quarter due to a knee issue, McCaffrey delivered a stellar performance with 18 carries for 115 rushing yards, a ground touchdown, five receptions for 72 yards, and two aerial touchdowns. In two matchups against the Cardinals this season, McCaffrey accumulated an impressive 364 scrimmage yards on 50 touches, accompanied by seven touchdowns—matching a Super Bowl-era record.
McCaffrey’s exceptional season continued to rewrite records. With both a receiving and rushing touchdown in the game, he tied NFL legend Marshall Faulk for the most career games with scores in both categories. His 1,292 rushing yards and 509 receiving yards in the season placed him in elite company as the fourth player in NFL history to achieve 1,000 rushing yards and 500 receiving yards in four or more seasons. Furthermore, his cumulative rushing and receiving yards since entering the league in 2017 rank him third, alongside Faulk and Roger Craig, for hitting these milestones in his first seven seasons.
The 27-year-old McCaffrey’s outstanding form in the current season makes a compelling case for the MVP title. Leading the league with 20 total touchdowns and six 100-yard rushing games, he has consistently posted over 100 yards from scrimmage in 11 games, tying a franchise record held by Roger Craig.
While Purdy also strengthened his MVP bid with a remarkable performance, finishing 16-of-25 for 242 yards, four touchdowns, and no interceptions, the spotlight remained on McCaffrey. Purdy’s achievements included tying franchise history with three games of at least four touchdowns and no interceptions this season, alongside Steve Young (1994) and Jeff Garcia (2000).
Despite both players contributing significantly, coach Kyle Shanahan refrained from differentiating between his two candidates, emphasizing the difficulty of choosing. However, the overwhelming sentiment within the team and among observers is that the Lombardi Trophy is the ultimate goal, with players expressing pride in their achievements and a singular focus on bringing the championship back to Santa Clara.
