Kyle Shanahan praises Christian McCaffrey, backs 49ers running back for MVP

Christian McCaffrey had an absolutely incredible game against the Cardinals with four touchdowns in the 49ers' 35-16 win, and Kyle Shanahan is backing him for an unlikely prize.

The San Francisco 49ers made sure not to fall for the trap game, being ruthlessly efficient in the end zone and riding on the career performance of Christian McCaffrey and his four touchdowns with a 35-16 win over a scrappy Arizona Cardinals outfit in a game that wasn't nearly as much of a blowout as the three-score margin suggests.

Arizona has been punching above its weight all season and was within a score entering the final quarter, but two touchdowns put the game beyond measure and left the Niners as one of two teams to start the first month of the season 4-0.

Read More: Christian McCaffrey wills 49ers to survive pesky Cardinals in Week 4 victory


McCaffrey was unstoppable with 106 yards off 20 carries and three touchdowns on the ground and an additional 71 yards off seven receptions and a fourth touchdown receiving. Chants of "CMC!" echoed around the stadium more than once as the running back put his mark on the game.

After the game, head coach Kyle Shanahan did not hide his praises and gave his endorsement of McCaffrey when asked if he viewed him as a potential MVP candidate:

"I'm not sure on the whole rest of the league right now but I thought he played like it last year when he was here. Christian's so awesome, he helps us win everytime he's out there. But when you got a guy who can do everything, you can always have unbelievable stats."

- Kyle Shanahan

McCaffrey has his work cut out for him now that the MVP is virtually a quarterback-only award for the last decade. Not since Adrian Peterson in 2012 has a running back taken home either the Associated Press or Pro Football Writers of America MVP title (Peterson took both that year).

But McCaffrey has shown he's not a mere running back, and his dominance in all facets of the game has certainly got him noticed.

If he can continue his current form throughout all 17 weeks, it would be very tough for him to at least not be that rare running back in the conversation for the prestigious award.