A quarterback has won the last 10 NFL MVP Awards, but NBC Sports Bay Area analyst Donte Whitner believes the streak ends this season.
“Christian McCaffrey will be the first non-quarterback to win the MVP award in over a decade,” Whitner said in the latest “Hitner’s Hot Take” segment. “Adrian Peterson did it in 2012 and only had 13 total touchdowns. Well, Christian McCaffrey has seven touchdowns in just four games.”
McCaffrey makes a very strong MVP case through the first four weeks of the 2023 NFL season.
In the 49ers’ 35-16 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at Levi’s Stadium, McCaffrey recorded 177 all-purpose yards – 106 on the ground and 71 through the air – as well as three rushing touchdowns and one reception.
Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovialoa, arguably the frontrunner in the MVP clubhouse at the start of Week 4, had a solid game against the Buffalo Bills, but when he was eliminated by a score of 48-20, his claim to the title was lost Award destroyed early on.
McCaffrey, meanwhile, leads the NFL with 459 rushing yards (Philadelphia Eagles running back De’Andre Swift is second with 369 rushing yards). With 141 receiving yards, the former first-round draft pick has an NFL-leading 600 all-purpose yards.
Over the past three-plus decades, the NFL MVP title has typically been awarded to quarterbacks, but the running back position is the only group that has broken through, giving McCaffrey some hope.
Lawrence Taylor was the last defensive player to win the NFL MVP in 1986. Since 1987 Thurman Thomas (1991), Emmitt Smith (1993), Barry Sanders (1997), Terrell Davis (1998), Marshall Faulk (2000), Shaun Alexander (2005), LaDainian Tomlinson (2006) and Peterson (2012) are the only non-quarterbacks to win the award.
McCaffrey would like to add his name to that list based on his performance in four games.
The 49ers’ offense is going well this season, with McCaffrey leading the way. They are the first team in franchise history to score at least 30 points in four consecutive games to start a season.
“He’s the focal point of Kyle Shanahan’s offense,” Whitner said. “His ability to create matchup problems, catch the ball out of the backfield, run the ball between tackles, make explosive plays but also finish in the end zone is the reason Christian McCaffrey won this year’s MVP will win the award.”
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