Not Patrick Mahomes. Not Deshaun Watson. Not Russell Wilson.
If ESPN analyst Marcus Spears could pick any player right now as the league’s MVP, he would take Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey for a laundry list of reasons that mostly convinced his co-hosts Tuesday morning on ESPN’s “First Take” program. Spears offered up the NFL’s leading rusher for the award when asked to determine who was leading between Wilson and Mahomes in the MVP race.
“Russell Wilson has literally lifted a team from being possibly mediocre to putting them in the playoffs … but Christian McCaffrey is the most valuable player in the NFL right now because his team does not thrive without him being in the offense.”
Is Christian McCaffrey the MVP frontrunner?
🏈 1st in rushing yards
🏈 T-2 in rushing touchdowns
🏈 923 total yards
🏈 Panthers: 4-2
Spears compared the impact of McCaffrey to LeBron James in the sense of how removing him from the equation would impact the Panthers this season. He also insisted that McCaffrey’s value to his team is even more than that of a healthy Saquon Barkley for the New York Giants.
“I still believe Saquon Barkley is the better running back,” Spears said. “But to me, if you remove him from the Carolina Panthers, they may be 0-4. And nobody is talking about how Kyle Allen is doing. Nobody is talking about should Cam (Newton) get his job back if he comes back. Christian McCaffrey is right now the most valuable player not only to his team but in the NFL because of what he’s doing for his team.”
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Career Year Well Underway for McCaffrey
The 23-year-old McCaffrey was restricted to just 31 yards on 22 rushes in an overseas matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in London, but he finished with both a rushing and receiving touchdown as the Panthers glided to a 37-26 win. Even the quiet day on his feet, though, saw McCaffrey retain his spot at the top of the league with 618 rushing yards through six games — keeping him on pace to exceed his career-best season in 2018.
NOBODY IS SAFE DEFENDING CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY.
(via @thecheckdown)
McCaffrey progressed nicely between his first and second seasons for the Panthers as a dual-purpose threat on the field. He racked up 435 rushing yards and 651 receiving yards during his rookie 2017 season, then upped the numbers to 1,098 rushing and 867 receiving in Year 2. But what McCaffrey is doing now is starting to make his first two years feel like footnotes.
The third-year rusher is averaging more than 100 rushing yards and more than 50 receiving yards per game with nine total touchdowns on the year. McCaffrey’s seven rushing touchdowns have already matched his total output from last season, while he also is fumble-free in helping the Panthers stay afloat with starting quarterback Cam Newton at the helm.
According to Odds Shark, McCaffrey entered Week 6 tied for the third-best odds to win the league MVP with Watson, the Houston Texans’ quarterback. Mahomes still led the way with a slight edge over Wilson, but the Chiefs have lost two straight divisional games while the Seahawks are on a three-game winning streak.
The Panthers won again Sunday and are graced with a bye week that hopes to resolve their quarterback situation as Netwon returns to health, but they emerge from it with one of the toughest on their schedule — an afternoon road trip to the San Francisco 49ers at 4:05 p.m. ET on Oct. 27. Count on McCaffrey continuing to be a major factor.
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ESPN Analyst Makes Bold Declaration About Christian McCaffrey