For weeks, NFL fans and media members have been arguing over who has the best case for the MVP award, with San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy at the center of much of the debate.
Purdy is putting together a tremendous season for the league’s best team, but many point to the weapons around him and the scheme he’s in as a benefit he has few other quarterbacks are provided with. As a result, many have argued in favor of Dak Prescott, Lamar Jackson, and Jalen Hurts (prior to last week), but as the Niners keep winning and other top MVP candidates have poor outings in key moments, it’s looking increasingly likely that Purdy is the frontrunner.
On Sunday, Purdy’s odds only improved (he moved to -125 at some books) as he threw for four touchdowns in a win over the Cardinals, while Prescott had a disastrous afternoon in Buffalo. However, in that Niners win, Christian McCaffrey put the ball in the end zone three times, bringing his total to 20 touchdowns this season (13 rushing, 7 receiving) and raised his scrimmage yards to 1,801 for the year. As such, with there not being a clearly dominant quarterback this season, there are some wondering if there’s an argument for the first non-QB MVP since Adrian Peterson won it more than a decade ago in 2012.
Among those who believe McCaffrey should be MVP is Brock Purdy, who was asked to make the case for his teammate after their win in Arizona, and noted that McCaffrey “really does everything” before shrugging off his own MVP candidacy.
BROCK PURDY:
"I think Christian should be MVP. I really do believe that." pic.twitter.com/8kR2sd2oen
— KNBR (@KNBR) December 18, 2023
This is absolutely what Purdy should be doing, and the truth is, it probably will only help his cause with some voters who will appreciate the show of leadership here. That said, if there were ever going to be a year where a non-QB won the award, this would be it, and you’d be hard-pressed to find someone with a better case than McCaffrey, even if the current odds-on favorite shares the backfield with him.