Is Christian McCaffrey the MVP?

With the way the Carolina Panthers have found ways to win without Cam Newton at quarterback, is running back Christian McCaffrey worthy of winning NFL MVP?

The Carolina Panthers have now won three games in a row after an 0-2 start. When starting quarterback Cam Newton went down with a leg injury, many thought the previously winless Panthers would go into the tank. But with Kyle Allen filling in for Newton and running back Christian McCaffrey playing at an elite level, the Panthers remain in the NFC South hunt.

On this week’s episode of Stacking the Box, FanSided‘s Matt Verderame, Josh Hill and Mark Carman look at the marvelous job McCaffrey has done for the Panthers so far this season through five games and decide if he is the front-runner for NFL MVP at this juncture (51:13).

“McCaffrey has been unbelievable,” said Verderame. “Every week it feels like he has 200 total yards from scrimmage…Listen, he’s been incredible, he has been unbelievable, but I don’t think he’s going to win MVP because he’s not a quarterback. I think it’s going to be [Patrick] Mahomes or Russell Wilson, but I think he’s Offensive Player of the Year.”

Verderame would go on to add that the Panthers would be 0-5 like the Washington Redskins if they did not have McCaffrey playing out of his mind this season. That might be a tad of a stretch, as the Panthers have other great players besides McCaffrey and aren’t a complete grease fire like Washington. That being said, it’ll be so hard for McCaffrey to win NFL MVP in 2019.

As Verderame said, he doesn’t play quarterback, which is McCaffrey’s biggest downfall for serious contention. Wilson looks to be the front-runner at this time after leading the Seattle Seahawks to a remarkable 1-4 start, given the lack of offensive talent he has to work with in the Pacific Northwest. Mahomes could repeat as NFL MVP but needs to play better than of late.

Overall, the Panthers should be thrilled with the type of production they are getting out of McCaffrey in year three. Outside of factoring as a return man, McCaffrey is doing what he did for the Stanford Cardinal in what should have been a Heisman Trophy season for him in 2015. Regardless, NFL Offensive Player of the Year is totally in play, but NFL MVP seems a bit much.

Here are a few other topics discussed on this week’s episode of Stacking the Box:

• Baker Mayfield needs to stop talking and start playing (4:12).
• The Indianapolis Colts are a playoff team (11:17).
• Is Gardner Minshew the Rookie of the Year (48:50)?
• Will Dan Quinn be the next head coach fired (52:00)?

All this and more!

Subscribe to Stacking The Box and follow Matt Verderame, Josh Hill and Mark Carman on Twitter.