Picking the 49ers' midseason MVPs on offense, defense and special teams
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what […]
Week 9 is over and done with. Now it's time for us to look back at the first half of the San Francisco 49ers’ season. All this week we're going to be doing a series of midseason articles. We'll be talking about both the good and the bad of this year so far. Here's what we've done to this point:
- 49ers' rookie report card
- 49ers' midseason grades
- 49ers' best and worst free agent signings at midseason
- 49ers' biggest surprise at midseason
- 49ers' biggest disappointment at midseason
- 49ers' biggest need at midseason
Now we turn to the awards and hand out Most Valuable Player honors on offense, defense and special teams.
The 49ers are always going to have a large number of contenders for their team MVP award given the sheer level of blue-chip talent on the roster.
Despite a three-game losing streak that has dropped them to 5-3, the Niners still have a host of players worthy of such recognition.
However, with how recent weeks have panned out, most of those candidates are focused on one side of the ball.
Offensive MVP
If we’re taking the literal meaning of MVP, then on offense the answer is unquestionably Trent Williams.
The 49ers have still moved the ball without their All-Pro left tackle in the lineup for the last two games, but there have been protection breakdowns at key junctures and the run game has been a shadow of what it was early in the season.
Brock Purdy also has a strong case despite his recent costly turnovers given he leads the NFL in the composite Expected Points Added per play and Completion Percentage Over Expectation (EPA + CPOE) composite metric.
But those miscues over the last three games make Purdy as the offensive MVP a tough sell.
Similarly, Christian McCaffrey obviously deserves consideration given his value to the passing game and the rushing attack and his record-setting touchdown streak.
Yet if we’re going to judge this on who has been the best and most consistent offensive player for the 49ers in 2023 then there’s a clear answer, and it’s Brandon Aiyuk.
If not for an early-season injury, Aiyuk would have substantially more than his team-high 620 receiving yards. He has emerged as the clear number one receiving option for the 49ers, taking his game to another level after a first 1,000-yard season in 2022.
The third-ranked wide receiver in the NFL by Pro Football Focus, Aiyuk has continually used his extremely polished route-running to shred man coverage. He is averaging 3.25 yards per route run (second in the NFL) and 3.90 yards against man (fifth among receivers with at least 10 man targets). Against zone, Aiyuk is third in yards per route run (3.18).
Though he has not found the endzone since a two-touchdown display in Week 1, Aiyuk has 13 explosive pass plays of at least 20 yards to his name, tied for eighth in the NFL despite him being hindered by shoulder injury in the Week 2 win over the Los Angeles Rams and missing the Week 3 victory against the New York Giants
Thirty of his receptions have gone for a first down. He leads all pass-catchers with at least 50 receptions in first downs per target rate (57.7%) and first downs per reception (85.7%).
With the separation he consistently generates and the his underrated contested-catch ability, it’s only a matter of time before Aiyuk’s counting stats and touchdown numbers are considerably more reflective of his outstanding performance levels.
Winner: Brandon Aiyuk
Runner-up: Trent Williams
Defensive MVP
Given the downturn the defense has suffered under new coordinator Steve Wilks, the candidates for MVP on that side of the ball are fewer.
Fred Warner has once again produced some exemplary performances at the middle linebacker position and already has five pass breakups and two interceptions this season.
Yet even Warner would concede his form over the Niners last three games has not be on par with the extremely high standards he sets for himself.
Javon Hargrave has made an immediate impact on the interior of the defensive line and has formed an impressive partnership with Arik Armstead in the middle. However, the defensive player that has week after week stood out as the Niners most impactful is the man who will be most frustrated by his lack of production.
Reigning Defensive Player of the Year Nick Bosa has only three sacks to his name this season, but that tally does not at all reflect the level of disruption he has created off the edge.
Bosa's total of 44 pressures is tied for the fifth-most in the NFL, per Pro Football Focus, though a better measure of his dominance is his pass rush win rate.
Among edge rushers with at least 50 pass rush snaps, Bosa is third with a pass rush win rate of 23.1 percent that trails only Myles Garrett and Rashan Gary.
The continuing frustration for Bosa is that his superiority against opposing tackles has not translated to greater sack production. But with his former Ohio State teammate Chase Young now joining the mix after the 49ers' blockbuster move at the trade deadline, his pressures should soon start having a more noticeable impact during a second half in which the Niners desperately need their best defensive player to wreak havoc.
Winner: Nick Bosa
Runner-up: Fred Warner
Special Teams MVP
In an ideal world, Jake Moody would be walking away with this award, but any hope of that being the case was extinguished when he sent a 41-yard game-winning kick wide right against the Cleveland Browns to hand the 49ers their first loss of the season.
Moody looked similarly bereft of confidence when he missed from 40 in the subsequent defeat to the Minnesota Vikings.
One player who should have plenty of confidence is punter Mitch Wishnowsky, who is enjoying the finest season of his career.
Wishnowsky is second in the NFL in net punting average (44.7 yards) and has pinned 14 punts inside the 20. On top of that, Wishnowsky's punts have been returned for a total of just 82 yards.
He is belatedly justifying the fourth-round selection the 49ers spent on the Australian in 2019 and can be considered very much in the mix for a Pro Bowl berth if he maintains his first-half form.
Similarly impressive has been George Odum, the backup safety who has eight special teams tackles, tied for the second-most in the league.
Winner: Mitch Wishnowsky
Runner-up: George Odum
A lot has gone wrong for the 49ers in recent weeks, but they should be greatly encouraged that their MVPs on offense and defense can still take their games to even higher levels in the second half of the campaign.
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