The San Francisco 49ers are closing in on clinching the #1 seed in the NFC, in large part due to the fact that Brock Purdy has quickly and surprisingly matured from “Mr. Irrelevant” to “MVP candidate” in just eighteen months time, a remarkable come-up for a kid who was once a three-star recruit coming out of Queen Creek, Arizona.

The 49ers skill position players are a big reason why Brock Purdy is in MVP contention in the first place. Deebo Samuel leads the NFL in yards after catch per reception, among all players with at least 50 receptions. Brandon Aiyuk, the 49ers leading receiver this season, is not much further down the list. It's no secret that Purdy has found himself in a cushy situation, but his supporting cast is even supporting him off the field too.

 

My question now is, will Deebo Samuel show up to San Francisco's final game of a year in a jacket that shows some love to the 49ers other MVP candidate, running back Christian McCaffrey? The fact that at this moment, during a season where quarterback stats are largely down in comparison to year's past, both Christian McCaffrey and Tyreek Hill seem to have little chance of winning the league's MVP award, it proves that quarterbacks are going to win this award for the foreseeable future. McCaffrey is leading the NFL in rushing yards, yards from scrimmage, and total touchdowns, and even Brock Purdy himself says that McCaffrey is the league MVP. But it took a 4-interception meltdown against Baltimore for Purdy's MVP odds to dip below McCaffrey's.

I don't know that my imaginary MVP vote would go to Brock Purdy or Christian McCaffrey at this point, but I do know that if the 49ers hope to win their first Super Bowl title since 1995, they'll need both Purdy and McCaffrey to continue to play at an MVP level throughout the postseason.