Christian McCaffrey Deserves to be in the MVP Discussion
Christian McCaffrey reminded NFL fans on Thanksgiving just how phenomenal of a player he is in the 49ers win over the Seahawks.
McCaffrey ran all over the Seahawks in that game by putting up 114 rushing yards on 19 carries for two touchdowns. He also had five catches for 25 yards, so McCaffrey was ringing up some great numbers on Thanksgiving night. He played a significant factor into why the 49ers won that game. You could say that about practically every game this season. Even in games where McCaffrey didn't have impressive numbers (he hit a lull from Weeks 5 to 8), he still makes a major impact on the offense.
It's not like defenses are going to sleep on him and take the running game lightly just because he isn't zooming past them. He does it all for the 49ers offense whether it's on the ground, through the air, and simply presence alone. Because of all that, McCaffrey deserves to be in the NFL MVP discussion. Now, that award has essentially become exclusive to quarterbacks, but this year the quarterbacks in general haven't been stellar. 2023 looks like the season where a non-quarterback will finally get it.
For me, the top two candidates at MVP right now are McCaffrey and Miami's Tyreek Hill. Both have similar impacts on their offense since they are the engine and are putting up resounding numbers. As it stands, McCaffrey is the rushing leader with 939 yards tallied and 11 touchdowns. That is 154 yards more than Raheem Mostert who is second. McCaffrey is also a first down machine as he has rushed for 56 first downs on the season, which is 17 more than any other running back in the league. Washington's Brian Robinson is second with 39, so McCaffrey is leaving a nice gap in significant rushing stats.
Don't forget how smooth he is as a receiver too. He has notched 48 catches for 389 yards and five touchdowns. I'd bank on McCaffrey eclipsing 1,000 yards rushing on the season when the 49ers play the Eagles next week. If he does so in a win, then his case for MVP will get even louder. Still, it is going to be tough for him to get the award. The quarterback bias is so strong with MVP. Even if he continues this high-level run, all it could take for him to lose out is an elite December from Patrick Mahomes, Jalen Hurts, or another renowned quarterback.
But I'm going to keep pushing the McCaffrey MVP train until further notice.
