In 25 years since Barry Sanders won the NFL MVP Award, only five other running backs have won the prestigious award. After what he saw last night, Sanders believes there could be a sixth.
Taking to X this morning, Sanders pointed out that even when he rushed for 2,000 yards in a season he still wound up winning co-MVP honors with Brett Favre. He believes that San Francisco 49ers
“You know this award is going to a QB @ShannonSharpe I rushed for 2000 yards in 97 and they made me co-MVP with @BrettFavre – I do think there is a shot #Christian will split it with (Insert QB here). @espn @FirstTake,” Sanders wrote.
McCaffrey is making a very strong case for the MVP award this year. He leads the league in rushing by a wide margin and is closing in on his second season leading the league in yards from scrimmage.
You know this award is going to a QB @ShannonSharpe
I rushed for 2000 yards in 97 and they made me co-MVP with @BrettFavre – I do think there is a shot #Christian will split it with (Insert QB here).@espn @FirstTake
— Barry Sanders (@BarrySanders) December 26, 2023
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But the Associated Press has seemingly always been reluctant to give the coveted award to the league’s best running backs unless they’ve done something truly spectacular.
The last time a running back won the award was 2012, when Adrian Peterson came within nine yards of breaking the single-season rushing record.
Since then we’ve had tons of great running backs come and go and rarely come close to winning the award.
Will Christian McCaffrey win the NFL MVP award this year? Does he deserve to?