2025 NFL MVP Inventory Watch: Christian McCaffrey is Placing Up Monster Yards Once more

[ad_1] With the San Francisco 49ers using a five-game profitable streak and in placing distance of the No. 1 seed within the NFC, working again Christian McCaffrey has been steadily powering Kyle Shanahan’s offense.

And due to that, McCaffrey has wormed his means again into the MVP hunt late within the season.

The explosive runner handed the 1,000-yard mark (1,039) for dashing this week, ending with 117 dashing yards in San Francisco’s 48-27 victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Monday night time. It’s the fifth time McCaffrey has rushed for over 1,000 yards in a season.

McCaffrey is second within the NFL with 1,888 scrimmage yards. At 849 receiving yards, McCaffrey is 151 away from recording 1,000 dashing yards and 1,000 receiving yards for the second time in his professional profession. He could be the primary participant in NFL historical past to take action if he accomplishes that feat.

McCaffrey additionally completed with two receiving touchdowns towards the Colts, tying Marshall Faulk for essentially the most receiving touchdowns by a working again in league historical past at 36.

49ers beat Colts 48-27, Is San Francisco a darkish horse Tremendous Bowl contender? "You don’t play the sport for that stuff," McCaffrey advised reporters concerning the accomplishment. "You play the sport since you love soccer and you like enjoying along with your teammates and going on the market and competing.

"However anytime you hear stuff like that, it's cool. I don’t take it as a right, and to be talked about with guys like that’s an enormous honor for me."

McCaffrey earned his fourth Professional Bowl nod this week for his accomplishments this season. McCaffrey had an MVP-worthy season in 2023, when he led the league in scrimmage yards (2,023) and whole touchdowns (21). Nonetheless, he completed third within the MVP voting that 12 months, and Lamar Jackson took house the trophy.

However in a 12 months when no participant is working away with the award, McCaffrey warrants a better look. He’s chargeable for 35% of San Francisco’s offense. Different non-quarterbacks like Jonathan Taylor, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Myles Garrett and Puka Nacua are having profession years, however maybe none of them have had the impression on their staff’s success as McCaffrey has had this season.

McCaffrey stays an extended shot to win the award at +50000 odds, per DraftKings Sportsbook. Matthew Stafford remains to be the frontrunner at -230, however Drake Maye (+185) has pulled shut, whereas Josh Allen (+2800) and Trevor Lawrence (+6800) observe behind these two.

Let's take a better have a look at my prime 5 for MVP Watch heading into Week 17.

5. Myles Garrett, edge rusher, Cleveland Browns (Final week: No. 3) Garrett completed with half a sack in a 23-20 loss to Josh Allen and the Buffalo Payments and now wants a sack to interrupt the single-season sack report held by Michael Strahan and T.J. Watt. Garrett has two video games to say the report, together with a house recreation towards Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a street contest at Cincinnati.

The query seems to be not if, however when Garrett will set the report, and the way far he'll push the mark previous the 22.5 report set by Strahan and Watt? Sadly for the Browns, Garrett’s historic cross rush efficiency has led to simply three wins for Cleveland.

Odds to win MVP: +50000

4. Christian McCaffrey, RB, San Francisco 49ers (Final week: Unranked) The Stanford product might have one other favorable matchup this week towards Chicago’s protection. The Bears are permitting 131 dashing yards a recreation (twenty seventh within the NFL) and seven.1 yards per cross play (twenty eighth within the league), heading into this week’s key matchup.

The final time the 49ers and Bears met, San Francisco rushed for 131 yards in a 38-13 victory in Week 14 final 12 months at Levi’s Stadium.

Odds to win MVP: +50000

3. Josh Allen, QB, Buffalo Payments (Final week: No. 2) Allen totaled simply 130 passing yards in a win over the Browns, enjoying by way of a foot harm within the second half as he did not miss a play. With Buffalo nonetheless having one thing to play for, attempting to earn homefield benefit within the postseason, count on Allen to go well with up when the Payments host the Philadelphia Eagles.

The sturdy Allen has began 120 consecutive video games and has not missed a recreation as a result of harm since his rookie season.

Odds to win MVP: +2800

Maye threw for a career-high 380 yards and engineered his first fourth-quarter comeback victory — a recreation New England wanted on the street in a win over the Baltimore Ravens to stay in competition for the AFC East division title and potential No. 1 seed.

Mahomes Mountain for Week 17: Will Trevor Lawrence or Drake Maye attain the highest? Maye did flip the ball over twice towards the Ravens and has eight interceptions on the 12 months. The Patriots are 2-6 when Maye finishes with at the least two turnovers in his profession.

Odds to win MVP: +180

1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Los Angeles Rams (Final week: No. 1) Though it got here in a loss to the Seattle Seahawks, Stafford threw for a season-high 457 yards and three touchdowns. Stafford’s totaled 4,179 passing yards and 40 landing passes this 12 months, turning into simply the third participant in league historical past (Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers are the others) with at the least 40 landing passes in three seasons.

Stafford can also be the seventh participant in league historical past with at the least 4,000 passing yards in 10 NFL seasons.

Odds to win MVP: -230

Honorable point out: Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Jared Goff, Jonathan Taylor, Jordan Love, Bo Nix.

Eric D. Williams has reported on the NFL for greater than a decade, protecting the Los Angeles Rams for Sports activities Illustrated, the Los Angeles Chargers for ESPN and the Seattle Seahawks for the Tacoma Information Tribune. Comply with him on X at @eric_d_williams.

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