The 49ers have put the league on notice so far this season with a point differential of 167-68 through five weeks. They’ve scored at least 30 points in each of their five games including a season-high 42 against the Cowboys on Sunday night.
Christian McCaffrey has been a big part of that. Former NFL lineman Mark Schlereth of the Audacy original podcast “Stinkin Truth” had high praise for the running back, saying he should be in the MVP conversation.
“Christian McCaffrey would be right up there,” Schelerth said (12:12 in player above). “We need like real football players in there.”
A running back hasn’t won the NFL MVP Award since Adrian Peterson in 2012. Before that, Shaun Alexander and LaDainian Tomlinson took home the hardware in 2005 and 2006. It’s been all quarterbacks in the last 10 seasons.
“I would love to see that award be diversified to a guy like Christian McCaffrey or a guy who is putting up a huge percentage of his team’s offense or who is a big-time problem on the defensive side of the ball,” Schlereth continued. “I look at that stuff and I think that that stuff is really important. But I just know how the league works. It’ll just go to a quarterback.”
The 49ers have scored a total of 20 offensive touchdowns this season – 11 rushing and nine receiving. McCaffrey has had eight of those 20 scores with seven coming on the ground and one through the air.
Five quarterbacks lead the way in the MVP odds with Patrick Mahomes, Tua Tagovailoa, Brock Purdy, Josh Allen, and Jalen Hurts all ahead of McCaffrey. Nevertheless, Schlereth is going with the underdog.
“I’m going to go right now with Christian McCaffrey,” he reiterated. “He’s a huge part of that offense.