Steph Chambers/Getty Images
San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan believes that Christian McCaffrey deserves more MVP buzz than he’s currently getting.
“Yeah, I think without a doubt,” Shanahan told the media on Friday when asked if McCaffrey is a candidate for the award (via Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk). “I know it goes to quarterbacks the majority of the time, and there’s plenty of worthy quarterbacks, but you definitely can’t say that Christian’s behind anyone.”
The 27-year-old has recorded a league-leading 939 rushing yards in 11 appearances this season, adding another 389 yards as a receiver.
McCaffrey has also found the end zone 16 total times in 2023, the most of any skill player. While the streak is no longer active, he also tied an NFL record by recording a touchdown in 17 consecutive games. The streak began last season and continued up until the 49ers’ 34-3 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 10.
NFL @NFL
16th straight game with a scrimmage TD for @CMC_22, an NFL record! 👏
📺: #SFvsMIN on ESPN/ABC
📱: Stream on #NFLPlus https://t.co/riDUhbzXkK pic.twitter.com/DCOXBA2Z0e
“He’s as valuable in this league as anyone,” Shanahan said, per Florio. Although quarterback Brock Purdy has performed extremely well in his first year as a full-time starter, throwing for 2,871 yards while completing just over 70 percent of his passes, McCaffrey has helped spearhead the NFL’s seventh-best rushing attack.
However, the MVP trophy has traditionally been won by quarterbacks throughout the past few decades. 15 of the last 16 winners have been signal-callers, with Adrian Peterson’s 2012 award-winning campaign being the only exception.
Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and Kansas City Chiefs’ signal-caller Patrick Mahomes are seen as two of the notable candidates this year. While both players have delivered incredible seasons, they haven’t dominated in all facets of the game.
Hurts is averaging less rushing yards per game than he did in 2022 while having already thrown four more interceptions than he did last season. Meanwhile, Mahomes is averaging less passing yards each week than he did last year and is currently on track to finish the season with less passing touchdowns and more interceptions than he had in 2022.
If the 49ers can finish with one of the best records in the NFL, McCaffrey will have a shot to be the first running back to take home the MVP award in over a decade.
>>> Read full article>>>
Copyright for syndicated content belongs to the linked Source : Bleacher Report – https://bleacherreport.com/articles/10099469-49ers-christian-mccaffrey-without-a-doubt-a-legit-mvp-candidate-shanahan-says
