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GLENDALE, Ariz. — Even before the 49ers’ 45-29 win over the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday at State Farm Stadium, conversations about MVP awards revolved around both Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey.
Purdy completed 16 of his 25 attempts for 242 yards and a whopping four touchdowns at his home in Arizona, but he still doesn’t think he deserves the award.
“I think Christian should be the best player,” Purdy said after the game. “I really believe that. He does everything for us. He runs the ball well, he can catch the ball, he does everything. In my opinion, this is the best player.”
McCaffrey finished the game with 18 carries for 115 yards and one touchdown, and also scored on all five of his targets for 72 yards and two receiving scores. The All-Pro leads the league with nearly 1,300 receiving yards, averaging over 92 yards per game and 1,801 yards from scrimmage.
After the game, Trent Williams declined to choose which of his teammates was more deserving of the honor.
“I know you’re not asking me that question,” Williams said with a laugh. “You can also go to the next stage.”
In the 2023 NFL season, Purdy completed 268 of his 384 attempts for 3,795 yards and 29 touchdowns, giving him a 69.7 percent completion rate through 14 games. Purdy also leads the league in most quarterback metrics, including touchdown percentage, yards per attempt and passer rating.
“It means the offense is playing really well,” Williams said. “We had the best performance in the NFL. For him to get an MVP award, I think that’s his right and the same with Brock. Brock has been playing his ass off.”
“So for him to be in the conversation, as a teammate, I couldn’t be more proud of those two guys.”
The last time a non-quarterback won the NFL’s Most Valuable Player award was in 2012, when then-Minnesota Vikings quarterback Adrian Peterson took home the honor. That season, Peterson carried the ball for a league-high 2,097 yards and scored 12 rushing touchdowns while averaging 131.1 yards per game.
However, Williams and the rest of the locker room are looking forward to a bigger honor than the MVP award: a trip to Las Vegas in February.
“My job is to try to continue to help them succeed, and who cares?” Williams said. “As long as we can get that trophy back to Santa Clara, that’s all I’m worried about.”
Purdy, always humble, is on the same page as his left tackles.
“I’m honored, but I think I have a great team around me and people who want to make plays,” Purdy said. “I’m trying to do my part to help the team win. I’m honored to hear that, but I think we have an MVP team overall.”
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