Can Panthers' Christian McCaffrey win MVP?
Peter King and Mike Florio debate whether Christian McCaffrey is a serious MVP candidate and if a running back can still win the award.
Video Transcript
MIKE FLORIO: Welcome to "PFT OT" on Yahoo Sports. Peter King, Mike Florio. And a question that has emerged in recent days, Peter-- and Rodney Harrison was banging this one aggressively on Sunday night prior to the Colts-Chiefs game. Christian McCaffrey, Panthers running back, leading the league in rushing, on pace to set the single-season yards from scrimmage a record. Is he a viable MVP candidate, or are we stuck in this mode where it just goes to a great quarterback from a team that has a great record?
PETER KING: Mike, if this were a league of Kyle Allens right now, if this were a league of Chase Daniels right now that, you know, where we weren't having some great quarterback performances, I would say yeah. You know, Christian McCaffrey might be in the lead for the MVP. But not saying that he won't be a significant contender because I think he will be if he keeps playing like this and he keeps lifting, you know, the Carolina Panthers to contention post Cam Newton, but I do think right now that Patrick Mahomes is the leader in the clubhouse. He doesn't have it won. But I think behind Patrick Mahomes is Russell Wilson and Christian McCaffrey. Those are the two prime contenders for the number-one deal right now.
And Mike, I banged this drum for years, speaking of banging the drums. I don't like the way that the MVP in the NFL is chosen. In baseball, you pick 1 through 10, and in football, in voting conducted by the Associated Press, you pick one player. And so you might say, boy, I'll tell you what. It's really close between this guy and that guy. I'd really like to give McCaffrey some credit for this, but you can't. If you think that Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson is the MVP of the league, you've got to pick him.
Now in the past, twice I have voted to split my vote at the top, you know, for the MVP. And I've voted, I don't know, for maybe 25 years. But I think right now if the season ended today, I would vote for-- I'd vote for Patrick Mahomes.
MIKE FLORIO: And I agree with you completely. At the minimum it needs to be first place, second place, third place, and a weighted voting system where the points are collected and you figure out the winner that way.
And I think that a nonquarterback only has a realistic chance to win when the nonquarterback does something historic. We saw Adrian Peterson in 2012 get very close to Eric Dickerson's single-season rushing record. That helped him edge out Peyton Manning in his first year back from the neck problems. So you need something like that to supplant the top quarterback, especially in light of the way Patrick Mahomes has played.
Now he had a down game on Sunday against the Colts, but I expect him to bounce back. Russell Wilson has been spectacular as well. And I think that's what makes it harder for a nonquarterback.
As you said, it is a golden age of quarterbacks. There are so many great quarterbacks that you have to do something that somehow supersedes them, and I don't see any of these other nonquarterbacks doing it.
PETER KING: It's kind of funny. We talk about a down game from Mahomes. He thew for over 300 without throwing an interception. Oh my God, what a bad game.
MIKE FLORIO: But by his standards--
PETER KING: That's what we've come to expect--
MIKE FLORIO: Right.
PETER KING: --with Patrick Mahomes.
MIKE FLORIO: Yep.
PETER KING: Of course, yeah.
MIKE FLORIO: Yep.
PETER KING: But still, a down game for him is a pretty good game for any quarterback in the NFL. So he's had four transcendent games really, collectively, and one meh game. I still think he's number one.
MIKE FLORIO: Another guy to keep an eye on-- and this will make Chris Sims very happy if he sees this video. We have to keep an eye on Aaron Rodgers. He's been spectacular the past couple of weeks. He's learning that offense. I was very impressed by what they were able to do against the Cowboys without Davante Adams available to them. And Aaron Rodgers, one of the older guys in the mix, can still run the ball when he needs to, throws the ball incredibly well. And if the Packers keep winning football games-- I really do feel like that's a huge factor. When you have that one seed, that helps boost the guy's candidacy when it's time to figure out the votes, Peter.
PETER KING: There's no question about it. But Aaron Rodgers has had the benefit of a great pass rush and a better defense, I think, than either Patrick Mahomes or Russell Wilson has had so far.
MIKE FLORIO: All right, you can check out more "PFT OT" on Yahoo Sports videos throughout the 2019 NFL season. We'll see you next time.
