SANTA CLARA, Calif. — The NFL’s Most Precious Participant award has been given to a quarterback for every of the previous 10 seasons.
It is a incontrovertible fact that wasn’t misplaced within the dialog within the San Francisco 49ers’ locker room after their 35-16 win towards the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday.
However, after working again Christian McCaffrey piled up 177 yards from scrimmage, scored 4 occasions and set a franchise document for many consecutive video games with at the very least one landing (13, together with playoffs), left deal with Trent Williams was unafraid to say it is likely to be time for that to vary.
“Hey, all them streaks come to an finish finally, proper?” Williams stated. “This is likely to be the yr. I can see it.”
On Oct. 20, it is going to have been one yr because the Niners acquired McCaffrey from the Carolina Panthers for second, third and fourth-round picks within the 2023 NFL draft and a fifth-round choice in 2024. On the time the Niners landed him, common supervisor John Lynch referred to him as a “power multiplier,” the kind of participant who can elevate everybody round him.
That has been evident loads in McCaffrey’s time with the workforce however by no means extra so than Sunday afternoon. McCaffrey broke Jerry Rice’s document on the Niners’ first drive, plunging into the tip zone from 1 yard out.
“Meaning lots,” McCaffrey stated. “Touchdowns are lots of enjoyable. Hopefully, we are able to hold it rolling.”
On San Francisco’s second possession, McCaffrey took a lateral from quarterback Brock Purdy, made a defender miss, hurdled one other and raced to the tip zone for an 18-yard rating. Williams was standing close by when McCaffrey made the play and instantly marched over to inform him, “Man, you are a baaaaaad boy.”
McCaffrey added a 6-yard landing seize from Purdy and a 2-yard scoring run to set a private finest with 4 touchdowns in a sport, tying him for second-most in franchise historical past in a single sport. It was a efficiency so dominant that Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James posted on X: “CMC you are ABSOLUTELY RIDICULOUS!!!! MY GOODNESS.”
McCaffrey’s manufacturing hasn’t been restricted to this Sunday. By the primary 4 video games, he has amassed a league-leading 600 yards and 7 touchdowns from scrimmage (tied for probably the most within the NFL). He joined Corridor of Famers Jim Brown (1963 advert 1958) and Emmitt Smith (1995) as the one gamers in NFL historical past with at the very least 600 scrimmage yards and 7 touchdowns of their first 4 video games of the season.
Since McCaffrey grew to become the starter for the Niners on Oct. 30, 2022, he has performed in 14 regular-season video games. He has 1,748 scrimmage yards in these video games (all of which had been wins). That quantity leads the NFL and is the second-most yards from scrimmage throughout a 14-game profitable streak, trailing solely Terrell Davis (1,849 in 1997-98), the Corridor of Fame Denver Broncos working again who performed with McCaffrey’s father, Ed, on these groups, for many scrimmage yards by a participant throughout a 14-game win streak.
“I am unsure on the entire remainder of the league proper now however I assumed he performed like [an MVP] final yr when he was right here,” coach Kyle Shanahan stated. “Christian’s so superior, he helps us win each time he is on the market, however while you’ve acquired a man who can do every little thing, you possibly can at all times have unbelievable stats, however he shares that with lots of different guys and we do no matter it takes to win. So, that is to me the factor that might make it the toughest for him, simply stats and simply the way it works out.”
One different potential impediment in McCaffrey’s MVP pursuit is likely to be his personal teammate: Purdy. Whereas McCaffrey was working via the Cardinals on Sunday, Purdy barely missed via the air, ending 20-of-21 for 283 yards and a landing for a passer ranking of 134.6. He added a dashing rating.
Purdy made a little bit historical past as nicely, as his 95.2% completion price is the very best in 49ers historical past and the fourth-highest by any quarterback trying at the very least 20 passes in NFL historical past. Drew Brees’ 96.7% mark set in 2019 stays the NFL document.
“He was nice,” Shanahan stated. “He was virtually excellent … hung in there, made some massive throws. Lots of occasions, that protection, they do not provide the massive throws, so that you sort of acquired to select them aside. He was very environment friendly at doing that. And when he had his alternatives for the large ones, he noticed it proper and made the proper throws and our guys got here down with them.”
Purdy, who’s closing in on seven months since he had the torn ulnar collateral ligament in his proper elbow repaired, stated he wasn’t conscious he had missed just one throw till after the clock expired.
When Purdy mirrored on his day, he harped on that one which acquired away, a misfire to McCaffrey within the flat on a third-and-24 from Arizona’s 46 with 10:52 left within the third quarter.
“Actually, I am nonetheless mad about what I missed to Christian,” Purdy stated. “He broke out. He was open. I ought to have hit him after which we might’ve been in area purpose vary. That’s one thing that I will need to be taught from and want I might’ve had again.”
Purdy hasn’t had a lot of these to this point this yr. Going into Sunday night time’s sport, Purdy leads the NFL in QBR (84.8), is eighth in passing yards (1,019), second in yards per try (9.1), third in completion proportion (72.3%) and is one in all three beginning quarterbacks to not throw an interception.
Past that, the Niners are 9-0 in Purdy’s regular-season begins, the fourth-most consecutive wins by a quarterback to start his profession within the Tremendous Bowl period.
“I believe you possibly can simply go down the record of what makes a quarterback good and he checks each field,” McCaffrey stated. “After which he has all of the intangibles, so that might be phenomenal. He brings a sort of swagger and vitality on daily basis that’s enjoyable to be round. He is quiet however he is very assured. He expressed that in the way in which he performs.”