Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers have a pair of MVP candidates in quarterback Brock Purdy and running back Christian McCaffrey, which is something that is typically unheard of in the NFL.
Recently, the Associated Press named the five finalists for the award, and both Purdy and McCaffrey were among them. Lamar Jackson, Josh Allen and Dak Prescott rounded out the rest of the group.
While Jackson will almost certainly be winning the award, Shanahan was still asked about the situation on Wednesday.
“It is unusual,” Shanahan said, via David Bonilla of 49ers Webzone. “I think to get to where we have been, to where we’ve gotten and to do it at the level we’ve had, you should have some players. I know we’ve got some defensive guys up for some awards, too, but having both of those guys in the run and the pass game where Christian does them both — and really Brock’s done them both — they’ve both been unbelievable and the biggest parts of our offense.”
There are some who will debate just how valuable Purdy is to the 49ers’ offense, as he has been labeled a system quarterback by a rather large faction of fans, media pundits and even former players (e.g. Cam Newton).
However, you can’t deny the numbers he posted this season. He threw for 4,280 yards, 31 touchdowns and 11 interceptions while completing 69.4 percent of his passes and registering a league-high passer rating of 113. That earned him a Pro Bowl selection.
Meanwhile, McCaffrey led the NFL with 1,459 rushing yards to go along with 14 scores on the ground. He averaged a robust 5.4 yards per carry and also hauled in 67 receptions for 564 yards and seven touchdowns, notching a Pro Bowl nod and First-Team All-Pro honors in the process.
Basically, San Francisco’s roster is absolutely loaded with talent on both sides of the ball, so it comes as no surprise that the Niners will be playing in the Super Bowl this weekend.
Kyle Shanahan and Co. will battle the Kansas City Chiefs for all the marbles on Sunday.
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