Barry Sanders claims Christian McCaffrey will split the MVP award with a QB, recalls how he was forced to do the same with Brett Favre in 1997

Barry Sanders is well aware of the QB dominated award's chances for a RB.

Barry Sanders claims Christian McCaffrey will split the MVP award with a QB, recalls how he was forced to do the same with Brett Favre in 1997

Barry Sanders and Christian McCaffrey (Via Mens Health/Imago)

The NFL 2023-24 regular season is coming to an end. With just two games to go, the analysts are picking their favorites for the MVP. They seem to be divided between three prime candidates. Most of the analysts have voted for either Christian McCaffrey or Brock Purdy. In addition, the likes of Lamar Jackson and some others are also popping up in the MVP discussion.

However, Brock Purdy and Christian McCaffrey have remained the favorites till now. Most of the analysts have taken a side between them. It will be difficult to cherry-pick one between the two.

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In this context, Barry Sanders, the former running back, has an interesting take. He believes that the league authority can announce a joint co-host. They can jointly be awarded as the MVP-winner for this season.

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It might sound odd, but the league has done that before. In fact, the Detroit Lions legend found himself in this exact situation in 1997. After the regular season, the running-back was voted for the MVP. But he was not alone in celebrating the honor. He had to share it with Brett Favre. In a recent social media post, the Hall-of-Famer running back shared the incident. 

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).
Sanders via X

Sanders had a great season in 1997. He ran for 2.053 yards with eleven touchdowns. Brett Favre, on the other hand, had 3,867 passing yards for 35 TDs and 16 interceptions.

Sanders strongly advocated for Christian Mccaffrey

Amid saying that the award will go to a quarterback, Sanders strongly advocated for Christian McCaffrey’s case. He believed that the San Francisco 49ers running-back has done enough to seal the MVP even if it comes as a combined award.

Christian McCaffrey
Christian McCaffrey in a game against the Cleveland Browns (Via Imago)

McCaffrey has been a constant companion to Brock Purdy throughout the season. He has become one of the lethal attacking options for the 49ers. In 15 games, McCaffrey has run for 1,395 yards with 14 touchdowns. The RB is way ahead of the rest of the competition in his position this season.

However, going by his average rushing yards and the remaining games, McCaffrey surpassing the record of Sanders’ 2,000 yards is nearly impossible. The MVP win is more likely than Sanders’ record.

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