The 49ers have a
Isaac Bruce Jersey problem every team dreams of having: they have two MVP candidates, but only one can win the award.QB Brock Purdy, who has turned from a little-known undrafted free agent into one of the best statistical quarterbacks in the NFL, is the betting favorite for MVP through three weeks. RB Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a legitimate contender even in an era in which his position is being devalued.San Francisco also has stars George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk on the roster, which factors into the cases of both Purdy and McCaffrey.MORE: Winning a Super Bowl is the No. 1 priority for both Purdy and McCaffrey, who would much rather win the Lombardi Trophy than an MVP trophy. At this point, though, the chances of one or the other winning the award are increasing. Here's a closer look at how the 49ers stars stack up against each other with three games remaining.In what's become a quarterback-centric award, the quarterback with the best raw numbers tends to be the top MVP candidate. As it stands now, Purdy has a great case to be that quarterback.Purdy is second in pa sing yards despite being 21st in attempts, and he leads the league with 29 touchdown pa ses through 14 games. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is also completing just under 70 percent of his pa ses and anchors a team many see as the decisive Super Bowl favorites.Here's a closer look at Purdy's numbers in 2023.GamesCMP%YardsTDINTRush YardsRush TD1469.83,7952971382Of the 20 quarterbacks with more pa s attempts, only one Texans rookie C.J. Stroud has thrown fewer interceptions than Purdy's seven.It's tough for a running back to insert himself into the MVP conversation in this era, but McCaffrey has been so far ahead of the rest that it's become impo sible to ignore his impact
Jake Funk Jersey on the 49ers.McCaffrey entered Week 16 as the only running back above 1,000 rushing yards, more than 300 yards ahead of the league's No. 2 rusher, James Cook. McCaffrey has 13 touchdowns on the ground and more runs of at least 20 yards than anyone other than Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs.If that were all, the argument for McCaffrey might not be so strong. The former Panthers star has been
Los Angeles Rams Women Jersey excellent in the pa sing game as well, though, ama sing 509 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.MORE: Here's a complete look at McCaffrey's stats entering Week 14.GamesAttemptsRush yardsYPCRecRec. yardsRec. TD142441,2925.3575097McCaffrey has 1,801 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns through 14 games, putting him on pace for 2,187 scrimmage yards. That would be the NFL's highest mark since himself in 2019. In the last 12 seasons, only McCaffrey, Le'Veon Bell, DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson have exceeded 2,187 scrimmage yards. If McCaffrey reaches that mark, he would also exceed Derrick Henry's total from his legendary 2,000-yard rushing season.Peterson had 2,314 scrimmage yards in his 2012 MVP season, when he came up just short of the single-season rushing record. McCaffrey's rushing totals won't reach that level, but his overall production could rival Peterson's historic season.So, which 49ers star has the advantage? If you believe the odds right now, the answer is Purdy. Purdy arguably has a built-in advantage as a quarterback, but the constant knock on his candidacy has been the talent of the group around him. That includes McCaffrey.Purdy is working with the league's best running back, one of the NFL's best all-around tight ends, and two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers. He also has the benefit of a Hall of Fame tackle in Williams, though the rest of the 49ers' offensive line isn't nece sary inspiring.Naturally, some of Purdy's pa ses are short throws that turn into large gains. Some of his downfield pa ses go to open receivers, due in part to Kyle Shanahan's terrific offensive system. At the same time, Purdy has made some thoroughly impre sive throws throughout the season, and he's certainly not the only quarterback to settle for what defenses give him.MORE: One could make the argument that McCaffrey benefits from those around him as well. Running backs from Raheem Mostert to Elijah Mitchell have proven to be efficient in Shanahan's system, and having three impre sive weapons elsewhere on the field undoubtedly helps keep some defensive attention off of McCaffrey.Between himself, Kittle, Samuel and Aiyuk, however, it's clear which of the four
Tutu Atwell Jersey weapons has had the largest impact for the 49ers this season. McCaffrey has accounted for 32 percent of San Francisco's scrimmage yards and 38.5 percent of the team's offensive touchdown total.The standard is sky high for running backs, though.
Allen Robinson Jersey Peterson accounted for a whopping 43 percent of the Vikings' yardage during his MVP season, scoring 38.2 percent of Minnesota's offensive touchdowns.Peterson was one of the only bright spots on a Vikings team that managed to reach the playoffs despite getting outscored. McCaffrey doesn't have the benefit of being able to say he dragged the 49ers to the playoffs; no one needed to drag the 49ers anywhere with the amount of talent on their roster.What McCaffrey can benefit from is an MVP race without an overwhelming favorite. It's understandable that Purdy has the advantage at this point, but a heavy reliance on McCaffrey and the running game by Shanahan down the stretch could change the minds of voters whoPurdy entered Week 16 as a -230 favorite to be named NFL MVP, according to odds from .PlayerOddsBrock Purdy-230Lamar Jackson+525Christian McCaffrey+550Dak Prescott+750Josh Allen+900Tyreek Hill+2000Jalen Hurts+2500Patrick Mahomes+2500Tua Tagovailoa+3000Jared Goff+10000
The 49ers have a Isaac Bruce Jersey problem every team dreams of having: they have two MVP candidates, but only one can win the award.QB Brock Purdy, who has turned from a little-known undrafted free agent into one of the best statistical quarterbacks in the NFL, is the betting favorite for MVP through three weeks. RB Christian McCaffrey, meanwhile, has positioned himself as a legitimate contender even in an era in which his position is being devalued.San Francisco also has stars George Kittle, Nick Bosa, Deebo Samuel, Fred Warner, Trent Williams and Brandon Aiyuk on the roster, which factors into the cases of both Purdy and McCaffrey.MORE: Winning a Super Bowl is the No. 1 priority for both Purdy and McCaffrey, who would much rather win the Lombardi Trophy than an MVP trophy. At this point, though, the chances of one or the other winning the award are increasing. Here's a closer look at how the 49ers stars stack up against each other with three games remaining.In what's become a quarterback-centric award, the quarterback with the best raw numbers tends to be the top MVP candidate. As it stands now, Purdy has a great case to be that quarterback.Purdy is second in pa sing yards despite being 21st in attempts, and he leads the league with 29 touchdown pa ses through 14 games. The soon-to-be 24-year-old is also completing just under 70 percent of his pa ses and anchors a team many see as the decisive Super Bowl favorites.Here's a closer look at Purdy's numbers in 2023.GamesCMP%YardsTDINTRush YardsRush TD1469.83,7952971382Of the 20 quarterbacks with more pa s attempts, only one Texans rookie C.J. Stroud has thrown fewer interceptions than Purdy's seven.It's tough for a running back to insert himself into the MVP conversation in this era, but McCaffrey has been so far ahead of the rest that it's become impo sible to ignore his impact Jake Funk Jersey on the 49ers.McCaffrey entered Week 16 as the only running back above 1,000 rushing yards, more than 300 yards ahead of the league's No. 2 rusher, James Cook. McCaffrey has 13 touchdowns on the ground and more runs of at least 20 yards than anyone other than Lions rookie Jahmyr Gibbs.If that were all, the argument for McCaffrey might not be so strong. The former Panthers star has been Los Angeles Rams Women Jersey excellent in the pa sing game as well, though, ama sing 509 yards and seven touchdowns through the air.MORE: Here's a complete look at McCaffrey's stats entering Week 14.GamesAttemptsRush yardsYPCRecRec. yardsRec. TD142441,2925.3575097McCaffrey has 1,801 scrimmage yards and 20 touchdowns through 14 games, putting him on pace for 2,187 scrimmage yards. That would be the NFL's highest mark since himself in 2019. In the last 12 seasons, only McCaffrey, Le'Veon Bell, DeMarco Murray and Adrian Peterson have exceeded 2,187 scrimmage yards. If McCaffrey reaches that mark, he would also exceed Derrick Henry's total from his legendary 2,000-yard rushing season.Peterson had 2,314 scrimmage yards in his 2012 MVP season, when he came up just short of the single-season rushing record. McCaffrey's rushing totals won't reach that level, but his overall production could rival Peterson's historic season.So, which 49ers star has the advantage? If you believe the odds right now, the answer is Purdy. Purdy arguably has a built-in advantage as a quarterback, but the constant knock on his candidacy has been the talent of the group around him. That includes McCaffrey.Purdy is working with the league's best running back, one of the NFL's best all-around tight ends, and two Pro Bowl-caliber receivers. He also has the benefit of a Hall of Fame tackle in Williams, though the rest of the 49ers' offensive line isn't nece sary inspiring.Naturally, some of Purdy's pa ses are short throws that turn into large gains. Some of his downfield pa ses go to open receivers, due in part to Kyle Shanahan's terrific offensive system. At the same time, Purdy has made some thoroughly impre sive throws throughout the season, and he's certainly not the only quarterback to settle for what defenses give him.MORE: One could make the argument that McCaffrey benefits from those around him as well. Running backs from Raheem Mostert to Elijah Mitchell have proven to be efficient in Shanahan's system, and having three impre sive weapons elsewhere on the field undoubtedly helps keep some defensive attention off of McCaffrey.Between himself, Kittle, Samuel and Aiyuk, however, it's clear which of the four Tutu Atwell Jersey weapons has had the largest impact for the 49ers this season. McCaffrey has accounted for 32 percent of San Francisco's scrimmage yards and 38.5 percent of the team's offensive touchdown total.The standard is sky high for running backs, though. Allen Robinson Jersey Peterson accounted for a whopping 43 percent of the Vikings' yardage during his MVP season, scoring 38.2 percent of Minnesota's offensive touchdowns.Peterson was one of the only bright spots on a Vikings team that managed to reach the playoffs despite getting outscored. McCaffrey doesn't have the benefit of being able to say he dragged the 49ers to the playoffs; no one needed to drag the 49ers anywhere with the amount of talent on their roster.What McCaffrey can benefit from is an MVP race without an overwhelming favorite. It's understandable that Purdy has the advantage at this point, but a heavy reliance on McCaffrey and the running game by Shanahan down the stretch could change the minds of voters whoPurdy entered Week 16 as a -230 favorite to be named NFL MVP, according to odds from .PlayerOddsBrock Purdy-230Lamar Jackson+525Christian McCaffrey+550Dak Prescott+750Josh Allen+900Tyreek Hill+2000Jalen Hurts+2500Patrick Mahomes+2500Tua Tagovailoa+3000Jared Goff+10000
