GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even before the 49ers' 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, talks of MVP awards have swirled around both Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.
Purdy completed 16 of his 25 attempts for 242 yards and a whopping four touchdowns in his home of Arizona, but he still doesn’t think he’s deserving of the award.
“I think Christian should be MVP,” Purdy said after the game. “I really do believe that. He does everything for us. Runs the ball well, can catch the ball, he does everything. In my eyes, that’s the MVP.”
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McCaffrey finished the game with 18 carries for 115 yards and one touchdown, also catching all five of his targets for 72 yards and two receiving scores. The All-Pro leads the league with nearly 1,300 yards rushing, an average of over 92 yards per game and 1,801 yards from scrimmage.
After the game, Trent Williams refused to pick which of his teammates was better deserving of the honor.
“I know you’re not asking me that question,” Williams said with a laugh. “You might as well go for the next one.”
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On the 2023 NFL season, Purdy has completed 268 of his 384 attempts for 3,795 yards and 29 touchdowns, giving him a 69.7-percent completion rate through 14 games. Purdy also leads the league in most metrics for a quarterback, including touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating.
“It means the offense is playing really well,” Williams said. “We got the best running back in the NFL. For him to get MVP consideration, I think that’s his just due and same with Brock. Brock has been playing his butt off.
“So for him to be in the conversation, as a teammate, I couldn’t be more proud of both of these guys.”
The last time a non-quarterback won the MVP of the NFL was in 2012, when then-Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson took home the honor. That season, Peterson carried the ball a league-high 2,097 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns while averaging 131.1 yards per game.
Williams and the rest of the locker room, however, have their sights on a bigger honor than MVP, and that’s a trip to Las Vegas in February.
“My job is to try to continue to help them have success, and who cares?” Williams said. “As long as we can bring that trophy back to Santa Clara, that’s all I’m worried about.”
Purdy, ever humble, is on the same page as his left tackle.
“I’m honored, but I think have a great team around me and guys willing to make plays,” Purdy said. “I’m trying to do my part on helping the team win. I’m honored to hear it, but I think we just have an MVP team overall.”
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