In the ever-changing Most Valuable Player debate during the 2023 season, San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy would cast his vote for teammate Christian McCaffrey.
“I think Christian should be MVP,” Purdy said following Sunday’s 45-29 win over Arizona, per ESPN. “I really do believe that. He does everything for us … and so in my eyes that’s an MVP.”
McCaffrey played at an MVP level on Sunday, generating a season-high 187 scrimmage yards (115 rush, 72 receiving) and scoring three touchdowns.
Week 15 marked McCaffrey’s 11th game in 2023 with 100-plus scrimmage yards (ties Roger Craig for most in a season in 49ers franchise history). His 15th career game with 1-plus rush TD and 1-plus receiving TD tied Hall of Famer Marshall Faulk for the most such games in NFL history.
In addition, McCaffrey became the fourth player in NFL history to have four career seasons with 1,000-plus rush yards and 500-plus receiving yards, joining Marshall Faulk, Thurman Thomas and Tiki Barber.
McCaffrey, who has gobbled up 1,801 scrimmage yards and 20 scrimmage TD in 2023, also joined HOFers LaDainian Tomlinson and Emmitt Smith as the only players in NFL history with four-plus seasons of 1,800-plus scrimmage yards and 13-plus scrimmage TD.
In two tilts versus the Cardinals, McCaffrey generated seven touchdowns (four in Week 4 and three in Week 15), tied for the most versus one opponent by any player in a season in the Super Bowl Era (only Billy Cannon’s 8 TD in 1961 versus the New York Titans are more all-time).
A matchup nightmare who keeps the 49ers offense chugging, McCaffrey certainly deserves his flowers, as does Purdy, who threw four touchdowns Sunday and generated his 13th game with a 100-plus passer rating, breaking a tie with Dan Marino, Tony Romo, and Dak Prescott (12 each) for the third-most games with a 100-plus passer rating in a QB’s first 20 career starts since 1950, trailing only Patrick Mahomes (16) & HOF Kurt Warner (14) through 19 starts.
“We got the best running back in the NFL, so for him to get MVP consideration, I think that’s his just due,” offensive tackle Trent Williams said. “And same way with Brock. Brock has been playing his butt off. … I couldn’t be more proud of both of these guys … and I mean, who cares, long as we can bring that (Lombardi) trophy back to Santa Clara. That’s all I’m worried about.”
Having two MVP candidates will likely split some of the votes when it comes time, but for the 49ers, it underscores an explosive offense that has ripped through defenses since the three-game losing skid earlier in the season. During their five-game winning streak, head coach Kyle Shanahan’s club has averaged 34.5 points per game on the back of CMC’s and Purdy’s performances.
“I don’t have to differentiate, thank goodness,” Shanahan said. “But I’ve been around a couple MVPs probably in my career and … this is the most obvious thing to me. I might be biased being on their team, but I don’t think so.”
