If you believe the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award is a quarterback award, then San Francisco 49ers QB Brock Purdy has as good a case as anyone.
After throwing for 314 yards and four touchdowns with no turnovers in a win over the Philadelphia Eagles Sunday, Purdy has 3,185 yards, 23 touchdowns and six interceptions on the season, tying Dak Prescott with a league-best 75.6 QBR. Purdy also leads the league with a 70.2 completion percentage and 9.6 yards per attempt.
His MVP odds are up to +350 at BetMGM, which puts him in a tie with Prescott and Jalen Hurts as co-favorites. With a 9-3 record to boot, the case for Purdy is strong.
Jauan Jennings makes a move and scores!
📺: #SFvsPHI on FOX
#NFLPlus https://t.co/xvCjbLUIcN pic.twitter.com/KZpz2q1hCM— NFL (@NFL) December 3, 2023
However, the best case against Purdy winning the league’s most prestigious individual award might be the one his own coach made before Sunday’s game. Kyle Shanahan thinks Christian McCaffrey is just as valuable.
“Yeah, I think without a doubt,” Shanahan told reporters Friday. “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. He’s as valuable in this league as anyone.”
Shanahan’s praise for his running back is warranted, and nothing that happened Sunday is likely to change his tune. McCaffrey ran for 93 yards to become the first player to hit the millennium mark this season, with 1,032 yards, and tacked on his 12 rushing touchdown. He also has 429 yards and five touchdowns receiving this year, putting him well on track to eclipse 2,000 yards from scrimmage for the second time in his career.
The chances of McCaffrey actually winning MVP are probably slim. His odds remain a distant seventh, tied with Tyreek Hill at +2000. And a running back hasn’t won the award since Adrian Peterson in 2012. But McCaffrey’s case, as the player who makes San Francisco’s offense go, inherently weakens Purdy’s case as a clear beneficiary.
Who are we to argue with the coach who calls the plays?
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