Jerry Rice couldn't decide between Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey when asked which San Francisco 49ers player most deserved the MVP award. Another former NFL wide receiver had no problem choosing between the quarterback and running back.
"I can't even believe this is a question. It's Brock Purdy, no doubt," analyst T.J. Houshmandzadeh said this week on FS1.
Houshmandzadeh justified his choice by reflecting on last season's NFC Championship Game, where Purdy suffered a UCL injury early on, leading to a decisive 31-7 defeat against the Philadelphia Eagles.
"The last time we saw the 49ers in the playoffs last year, we all thought, Oh, they're gonna go to the Super Bowl," Houshmandzadeh said. "And who got hurt? Brock Purdy got hurt, and one Christian McCaffrey was still in the game. They couldn't do anything against your Eagles. They couldn't do anything."
Who is the more valuable 49er: Christian McCaffrey or Brock Purdy?
"I can't even believe this is a question. It's Brock Purdy, no doubt." — @housh84 pic.twitter.com/bWSbCavaZi
— Speak (@SpeakOnFS1) December 19, 2023
In this season's rematch, with a healthy Purdy at the helm of the offense, the 49ers embarrassed the Eagles 42-19.
"And so if Brock Purdy isn't in the game, that offense doesn't work the way that it should work and the way they need it to work," Houshmandzadeh said. "Christian McCaffrey is a great player, but this is probably his last chance to win an MVP, to be in the conversation. So that's why, I think, you see, a [George] Kittle say, 'I think Christian McCaffrey deserves it.'
"Brock Purdy is going to be in the conversation, it seems, for years to come now. But if he's not on the team, the 49ers aren't the 49ers. And so, it's no question it's Brock Purdy."
Purdy is just 205 yards shy of the 4,000-yard milestone and is on track to set a franchise record for passing yards in a single season. He leads the NFL with 29 touchdown passes and owns a league-leading 119.0 passer rating.
