The Case for NFL MVP: Christian McCaffrey

The last time a running back won the NFL MVP was 2012, when Adrian Peterson led the Minnesota Vikings to the playoffs despite having the second least passing yards of any team. Since then it has been nothing but quarterbacks. While Brock Purdy has been amazing in his own right, one cannot deny the similar impact Christian McCaffrey has for the San Francisco 49er offense.

In a year where it has been a down year for QBs, this could be the perfect opportunity for a non-qb to win the prestigious award. This season, the clear best non-qbs have been Tyreek Hill, who is on pace to be the first WR to ever have 2000 receiving yards, and Christian McCaffrey. On a team stacked with talent and weapons, somehow McCaffrey has cleared himself as the number one option.

Amongst all running backs McCaffrey leads them all with 1032 rushing yards, which is nearly 200 yards ahead of second. In contrast, the difference between McCaffrey and second is nearly the same as 2nd and 17th. Additionally, McCaffrey is tied 2nd with Jalen Hurts for most rushing touchdowns, only behind former 49er running back Raheem Mostert. 

While Raheem Mostert has gotten all of his touchdowns legitimately, Jalen Hurts certainly has an argument against him. Jalen Hurts has the benefit of an offensive line which includes future Hall of Famers Jason Kelce and Lane Johnson, and two other pro bowlers in Jordan Mailata and Landon Dickerson. Going through every Eagles game and calculating every Jalen Hurts tush push touchdown, he leads the NFL in tush push touchdowns, with 9. In comparison, Christian McCaffrey has 0.

While Mostert has McCaffrey in rushing touchdowns, McCaffrey leads all players in total TDs with 17. If he keeps this pace, he will have scored 24 touchdowns, which would put him sixth all time. In fact, McCaffrey has scored a touchdown in every game except one, which ended his record tying touchdown streak of 17 games. Had he broken the record, surely his MVP status would not be in doubt. 

McCaffrey isn’t just the best running back in the league. He also happens to be an elite route runner and pass blocker. McCaffrey has 429 receiving yards and 5 receiving touchdowns, which both are the most for any running back. His ability to not just be the best runner in the NFL but also be an elite route runner and outlet for Brock Purdy gives him a unique advantage that gives other teams headaches attempting to scheme. 

Take this play vs Philadelphia with 8:51 in the second for example. Philly is bringing 5 rushers with a plan to pressure quickly, and left tackle Trent Williams is tasked with blocking the inside man. This leaves Josh Sweat, who has 6.5 sacks on the season, a wide open lane to either disrupt our main option to George Kittle or even get to Purdy. The only man that can keep this play alive is McCaffrey. And he executes phenomenally. His block single-handedly gave Purdy and Kittle enough time to execute the play which would get them 32 yards. The ability to pass block is rare within running backs, yet McCaffrey has an ability to do so that completely unlocks this offense.

Most importantly, perhaps McCaffrey’s most mind boggling stat yet, he leads every non-kicker in total points. And out of the top 30 players, only two of them are non-kickers. Yet Christian McCaffrey is not only among them, but places third for all players in total points. Hypothetically, if McCaffrey were removed from the 49ers, they would go from 3rd in points to 13th.

Christian McCaffrey is the best player on the 49ers, and the 49ers should be considered the best team after beating the Eagles in the long awaited matchup. Therefore it shouldn’t be a stretch to consider McCaffrey the best player on the best team. His ability to scan the field and find gaps that sometimes may not even be there, while also being an elite runner, pass blocker, AND route runner gives Kyle Shanahan the best weapon that he has ever had. As long as Christian McCaffrey can continue his steady dominance, he should be heavily considered for the NFL MVP.