Who Was The Last Running Back To Win Super Bowl MVP?

Christian McCaffrey was, by a significant margin, the best running back in the NFL during the 2023 season. He finished with nearly 300 more rushing yards than the guy in second place, and scored a total of 21 touchdowns in the 16 games that he played.

Could Christian McCaffrey Win Super Bowl MVP?

Most Valuable Player finalists, with the winner being announced Feb. 8:

🏈49ers’ QB Brock Purdy
🏈49ers’ RB Christian McCaffrey
🏈Ravens’ QB Lamar Jackson
🏈Bills’ QB Josh Allen
🏈Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) January 25, 2024

He has continued his dominance in the postseason. While he hasn’t hit the century mark on the ground in either game thus far, McCaffrey has been within 10 of fewer yards both times, and scored four of San Francisco’s seven touchdowns in their games against the Packers and Lions.

Does he have a chance to win the MVP award at the Super Bowl in a couple of weeks?

The oddsmakers say that has a pretty good shot. Aside from the two quarterbacks, no one has lower odds of taking home the designation of most valuable, as McCaffrey is currently sitting at +450. Should he continue his high level of production, and most certainly if he scores multiple touchdowns, then he would have to be considered for MVP.

The honors, however, are typically reserved for quarterbacks and wide receivers. The two positions are responsible for all but four Super Bowl MVPs since the year 2000, with the rest going to guys who made the biggest defensive impacts.

No Running Back Has Won The Award Since 1998

“We got one more.” — Christian McCaffreypic.twitter.com/JJl86T3E75

— Coach Yac 🗣 (@Coach_Yac) January 29, 2024

If fact, there has been no running back that has won the award since 1998, when Terrell Davis of the Denver Broncos rushed for 153 yards and 3 touchdowns in the first of two straight Super Bowl wins for the team. There weren’t many before that, either, as only 6 of the 57 MVP awards have been given to running backs in the history of the game.

McCaffrey and his coach have a special connection with that Broncos team of the late 1990s. Kyle Shanahan’s father, Mike, was the head coach in Denver during their successful run, and McCaffrey’s father, Ed, was a 1,000 yard receiver for them at the time. Mike was the offensive coordinator in San Francisco when the 49ers won the Super Bowl in 1994. Ed was a wide receiver on that team.

But McCaffrey isn’t the only running back that could potentially take home the hardware. Chiefs’ running back Isiah Pacheco has been an increasingly large part of their offensive attack, and has scored at least a touchdown in each of his last seven games. If Kansas City’s game plan features plenty of Pacheco, then it could be worth taking a flyer on his MVP odds at +2500.