It's been over 10 years since a non-quarterback won the NFL MVP award, but Christian McCaffrey's red-hot start has him at the forefront of the conversation nearly a quarter of the way through the 2023 season.
49ers coach Kyle Shanahan was asked if McCaffrey should be the MVP following the star back's sensational four-touchdown game against Arizona.
"Yeah, I'm not sure on the whole rest of the league right now, but I thought he played like it last year when he was here," Shanahan said Sunday. "Christian's so awesome, he helps us win every time he's out there. But when you got a guy who can do everything, you can always have unbelievable stats. But he shares that with a lot of other guys, and we do whatever it takes to win. So that's to me, the thing that would make it the hardest for him, just stats and how it works out."
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Winning is just about all the 49ers have done since acquiring McCaffrey nearly a calendar year ago, posting a 14-2 record since trading for the dynamic back.
Reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa weighed in on McCaffrey's impact on the team, citing his desire to see McCaffrey rewarded at the annual "NFL Honors" ceremony in February.
"Whenever he is out there, it changes everything, with his ability to catch the ball and obviously run," Bosa said. "I told him after today, he was sitting in front of me at the 'NFL Honors,' and hopefully, I'm sitting in front of him and congratulating him."
Bosa also chimed in about how McCaffrey's versatile skill set changed how he viewed the running back position as a whole.
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"As a D-line, I don't give too much respect to running backs usually, just because of how well we've played the run since we've been here," Bosa said. "But I think my mind has changed on that a little bit. There's definitely some guys in the league you have to prepare for, and he's definitely one of them."
McCaffrey's touchdown outburst in Week 4 led to his MVP odds skyrocketing on PointsBet. After the game, his odds on PointsBet improved to +2500 (previously +4000). San Francisco quarterback Brock Purdy now is at +1600 (previously +1800). Other quarterbacks like Patrick Mahomes (+350), Josh Allen (+450) and Tua Tagovailoa (+650) are still the favorites.
McCaffrey has accounted for nearly 40 percent of the 49ers' total offensive output, averaging an absurdly efficient 6.1 yards per touch on the heaviest workload among NFL skill-position players.
While it's seemingly impossible for a running back to win the award in today's NFL, if anyone is in a position to break the trend, it's McCaffrey.