With the San Francisco 49ers riding a five-game winning streak and in striking distance of the No. 1 seed in the NFC, running back Christian McCaffrey has been steadily powering Kyle Shanahan’s offense.
And because of that, McCaffrey has wormed his way back into the MVP hunt late in the season.
The explosive runner passed the 1,000-yard mark (1,039) for rushing this week, finishing with 117 rushing yards in San Francisco’s 48-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night. It’s the fifth time McCaffrey has rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season.
McCaffrey is second in the NFL with 1,888 scrimmage yards. At 849 receiving yards, McCaffrey is 151 away from recording 1,000 rushing yards and 1,000 receiving yards for the second time in his pro career. He would be the first player in NFL history to do so if he accomplishes that feat.
McCaffrey also finished with two receiving touchdowns against the Colts, tying Marshall Faulk for the most receiving touchdowns by a running back in league history at 36.
49ers beat Colts 48-27, Is San Francisco a dark horse Super Bowl contender?
“You don’t play the game for that stuff,” McCaffrey told reporters about the accomplishment. “You play the game because you love football and you love playing with your teammates and going out there and competing.
“But anytime you hear stuff like that, it is cool. I don’t take it for granted, and to be mentioned with guys like that’s a huge honor for me.”
McCaffrey earned his fourth Pro Bowl nod this week for his accomplishments this season. McCaffrey had an MVP-worthy season in 2023, when he led the league in scrimmage yards (2,023) and total touchdowns (21). However, he finished third in the MVP voting that year, and Lamar Jackson took home the trophy.
But in a year when no player is running away with the award, McCaffrey warrants a closer look. He’s responsible for 35% of San Francisco’s offense. Other non-quarterbacks like Jonathan Taylor, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua are having career years, but perhaps none of them have had the impact on their team’s success as McCaffrey has had this season.
McCaffrey remains a long shot to win the award at +50000 odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Matthew Stafford is still the frontrunner at -230, but Drake Maye (+185) has pulled close, while Josh Allen (+2800) and Trevor Lawrence (+6800) follow behind those two.
Let’s take a closer look at my top five for MVP Watch heading into Week 17.
5. Myles Garrett, edge rusher, Cleveland Browns (Last week: No. 3)
Garrett finished with half a sack in a 23-20 loss to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills and now needs a sack to break the single-season sack record held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett has two games to claim the record, including a home game against Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a road contest at Cincinnati.
The question appears to be not if, but when Garrett will set the record, and how far he will push the mark past the 22.5 record set by Strahan and Watt? Unfortunately for the Browns, Garrett’s historic pass rush performance has led to just three wins for Cleveland.
Odds to win MVP: +50000
4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (Last week: Unranked)
The Stanford product could have another favorable matchup this week against Chicago’s defense. The Bears are allowing 131 rushing yards a game (27th in the NFL) and 7.1 yards per pass play (28th in the league), heading into this week’s key matchup.
The last time the 49ers and Bears met, San Francisco rushed for 131 yards in a 38-13 victory in Week 14 last year at Levi’s Stadium.
Odds to win MVP: +50000
3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Bills (Last week: No. 2)
Allen totaled just 130 passing yards in a win over the Browns, playing through a foot injury in the second half as he didn’t miss a play. With Buffalo still having something to play for, trying to earn homefield advantage in the postseason, expect Allen to suit up when the Bills host the Philadelphia Eagles.
The durable Allen has started 120 consecutive games and has not missed a game due to injury since his rookie season.
Odds to win MVP: +2800
Maye threw for a career-high 380 yards and engineered his first fourth-quarter comeback victory — a game New England needed on the road in a win over the Baltimore Ravens to remain in contention for the AFC East division title and potential No. 1 seed.
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Maye did turn the ball over twice against the Ravens and has eight interceptions on the year. The Patriots are 2-6 when Maye finishes with at least two turnovers in his career.
Odds to win MVP: +180
1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (Last week: No. 1)
Although it came in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Stafford threw for a season-high 457 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford’s totaled 4,179 passing yards and 40 touchdown passes this year, becoming just the third player in league history (Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the others) with at least 40 touchdown passes in three seasons.
Stafford is also the seventh player in league history with at least 4,000 passing yards in 10 NFL seasons.
Odds to win MVP: -230
Honorable mention: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Jordan Love, Bo Nix.
Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for more than a decade, covering the Los Angeles Rams for Sports Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma News Tribune. Follow him on X at @eric_d_williams.
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