Through seven weeks of the 2019 NFL season, the list of MVP candidates includes mostly quarterbacks: Aaron Rodgers, Russell Wilson, etc.
However, there is one non-signal-caller on the list, and it's Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey.
McCaffrey has been so impressive this season, as a matter of fact, that San Francisco 49ers head coach Kyle Shanahan said that preparing for McCaffrey is like getting ready for Hall-of-Fame running back Marshall Faulk, according to Max Henson of the Panthers' team website.
A lofty compliment, indeed, but it's one that shouldn't be discarded.
Through six games this year, McCaffrey has rushed for 618 yards and seven touchdowns while averaging 4.7 yards per carry. In addition, he has logged 35 catches for 305 yards and couple of scores.
He has put together three monster performances thus far, rushing for 128, 153 and 176 yards, respectively, in Weeks 1, 3 and 5. In two of those games, McCaffrey caught 10 passes.
The 23-year-old, who played his collegiate football at Stanford, was originally selected by the Panthers with the eighth overall pick of the 2017 NFL Draft.
He played in all 16 games during his rookie campaign, totaling 435 yards and a couple of scores in what was actually a pretty disappointing season on the ground. He did, however, catch 80 passes for 651 yards while reaching the end zone five times.
McCaffrey then broke out during his sophomore season, once again appearing in all 16 contests and racking up 1,098 yards and seven touchdowns, registering five yards per carry. He also hauled in 107 receptions for 867 yards and six scores.
The 6-0 49ers will look to snap Carolina's four-game winning streak on Sunday.
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