When the 11-3 Niners play the 11-3 Baltimore Ravens on Christmas night, running back Christian McCaffrey or quarterback Brock Purdy, according to San Francisco 49ers great and Hall of Famer Steve Young, might emerge as the clear favorite to earn the Most Valuable Player Award.
Young stated, “If Brock has a big game, he’ll win it,” according to David Bonilla of 49ers WebZone, who appeared on the KNBR “Tolbert and Copes” program. “If Christian has an even bigger game, he might win it.”
The “Purdy-versus-McCaffrey” MVP controversy makes news almost every day, primarily because of the belief that Purdy is just a “game manager” who is lucky to play with players like McCaffrey. ESPN statistics show that Purdy leads the NFL going into Week 16 with 29 touchdown passes, an adjusted QBR of 76.0, a passer rating of 119.0, and an average of 9.9 yards per pass attempt for the season.
With 1,801 overall offensive yards from scrimmage, 1,292 rushing yards, and 20 offensive touchdowns (tied with Miami Dolphins running back Raheem Mostert), McCaffrey leads the league, according to StatMuse.
“I think some voters will believe that if a running back is going to be selected, it might be this year,” Young stated in reference to McCaffrey’s potential to become the first player other than a quarterback to earn MVP since Adrian Peterson did it in the 2012 campaign. And it’s not a criticism of Brock at all. That only entails being aware that you have heard it all year.”
As of Thursday afternoon, oddschecker listed Purdy as the betting favorite at -200 odds to win MVP. McCaffrey was tied for fourth at +1200, while Baltimore quarterback Lamar Jackson was second at +600.
“…If Lamar has a big game and wins, they’ll give it to him,” Young added. “Monday night seems like that’s that kind of an event.”
The Niners-Ravens showdown is shaping up to be a final Christmas present football fans can’t wait to unwrap.
