Purdy is MVP betting favorite after 49ers rout Eagles
Move over, Dak Prescott and Jalen Hurts. There’s a new leader in the race for the NFL’S Most Valuable Player award: the increasingly relevant Brock Purdy.
Purdy is now the betting favorite at many gambling sites. Caesars Sportsbook has him leading the field with 3-to-1 odds after the 49ers demolished the Eagles Sunday afternoon in Philadelphia.
The Niners are the consensus Super Bowl favorites, too. Caesars lists them at +300, with the Chiefs (+575), Eagles (+600) and Ravens
(+700) next in line. Every sportsbook tracked by Vegasinsider.com has the 49ers at the top of its pile, reflecting what oddsmakers expect the public to be thinking after their NFC Championship revenge game. Of course, losses by Kansas City and Philadelphia, as well as Baltimore’s bye week gave the 49ers extra room to climb.
Christian Mccaffrey’s MVP odds are among the shortest for nonquarterbacks: He’s listed at 15-to-1 by Caesars and 16to-1 by Draftkings, where he is tied with Dolphins receiver Tyreek Hill.
As football has become more pass-heavy, the MVP award has become slanted toward quarterbacks — the last non-quarterback to win was Adrian Peterson in 2012, when he ran for 2,097 yards for Minnesota.
of the field and turning it into a 48-yard touchdown. Samuel caught the ball at the 42-yard line, broke the tackle attempt by Nick Morrow, and then set sail toward the goal line through the heart of the Eagles’ defense.
“Getting in space and breaking tackles is what I’m really good at, and Kyle put me in really good positions to make that happen and I did a good job at it today,” Samuel said.”
The play restored order in a blowout win that keeps the 49ers (9-3) in contention for the top seed in the NFC.
Samuel wasn’t done, catching a screen pass and racing 46 yards for a score on a play where it didn’t appear anyone on the Eagles was too keen on getting in the way of a 6-foot, 215-pound bowling ball.
“When he gets that full head of steam, he don’t bring a lot of finesse to the part,” 49ers left tackle Trent Williams said. “Guys are going to sit back in the chair and wait on him.
They know it’s going to be a collision, he knows it’s going to be a collision. He’s a special player and I think his performance today shows that he’s a special player.”
Shanahan, who has always been one of Samuel’s biggest supporters, said he felt a game like this was coming after missing two games with a hairline fracture in his shoulder.
“He’s as good as there is with the ball in his hands
Only Peterson, Ladanian Tomlinson (2006 Chargers), Shaun Alexander (2005 Seahawks) and Marshall Faulk (2000 Rams) have won this millennium from outside the position.
Few observers would argue Purdy is the best quarterback in the NFL, or the best player on his own offense.
The versatile Mccaffrey leads the league in rushing and has scored in 23 of 24 games as a 49er. Deebo Samuel just hammered the Eagles’ defense with three touchdowns and he’s behind Brandon Aiyuk in the receivers’ room. Trent Williams is an athletic freak at 6-foot-5, 320 pounds. George Kittle is the best two-way tight end in football, laughing as he pancakes linebackers.
and people don’t like to tackle him,” Shanahan said.
Samuel exploded on the scene in 2021 with 77 receptions for 1,405 yards and six touchdowns, plus 365 yards rushing on 59 carries for eight more scores, getting his extension before the 2022 season. But we’ve only seen glimpses of the 2021 Samuel in part because of injuries, in part because he conceded he came into last season out of shape and in part to more playmakers at Shanahan’s disposal.
Samuel came into the game with 34 catches for 474 yards and a touchdown receiving this season, plus 26 rushes for 138 yards and four touchdowns.
Mccaffrey, who also has rushing-receiving skills, became the primary focus as he has been spectacular. You could make the argument that at times this season, Samuel was no better than sixth among the 49ers’ most productive offensive players behind Purdy, Mccaffrey, Williams, Kittle and Aiyuk.
Mccaffrey had 17 rushes for 93 yards against the Eagles, caught three passes for 40 more and scored his 17th touchdown. Purdy was 19 of 27 for 314 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions, Aiyuk caught five passes for 46 yards and scored the first touchdown, and Kittle had four catches for 68 yards.
Samuel contributed to Aiyuk ‘s score as Purdy faked a sweep right to Samuel, only to roll to his left and find Aiyuk for the
None of those players has operational control of the 49ers’ wrecking-ball offense like Purdy does, though, and that’s why quarterbacks have dominated MVP voting over the last decade. Purdy, outside of a slump when Williams was injured, has done a masterful job of distributing the ball to those all-world skill players.
He did it with a perfect passer rating against the Bucs, then he did it in a hostile environment on Thanksgiving in Seattle, and Sunday in Philly at the scene of his elbow injury last January, he threw for 314 yards and four touchdowns. Never mind how much of that yardage was gained after the catch.
As for the odds themselves, just wait til next week.
score. He has been a hell of a decoy, but the 49ers didn’t pay all that money for a decoy.
The way Samuel has handled the situation has impressed edge rusher
Nick Bosa.
“I think he’s the epitome of unselfishness,” Bosa said. “He got paid and obviously that comes with a lot of pressure to be the guy. And when you have so many dudes, you’re not going to get those (opportunities) very often. I just love the fact that he can talk and set the stage and talk into a hostile environment and just thrive. That’s what greatness is made of.”
Purdy said it was evident during the week that Samuel “had a little something to him” with the Eagles up next.
“He had a little history with the way things went in the playoff game and he looked forward to coming back to this place,” Purdy said. “All I had to do was get him the ball in space and he made the rest happen.”
If Samuel can produce similarly going forward, it lessens the load on Mccaffrey and makes the 49ers more explosive as opposed to being an offense that succeeds solely through long drives and dominating time of possession.
Whatever is standing in the 49ers’ way in the last five games and the postseason, Samuel had the look Sunday of a player who will be delighted to knock it over.