This is For The Win’s daily newsletter, The Morning Win. Did a friend recommend or forward this to you? If so, subscribe here. Have feedback? Leave your questions, comments and concerns through this brief reader survey! Now, here’s Mike Sykes.
Good morning, Winners! Hope you had a fantastic weekend. Happy Monday — you know, if there is such a thing.
Look, I know we don’t typically dish out awards four weeks into the season. But, so far, Christian McCaffrey has to be the league’s MVP, man.
The NFL has been trying to tell us the running back position in the league. Teams don’t pay their running backs. It doesn’t make sense. You can find them a dime a dozen.
Yet, here we are. Have y’all seen this dude? He is absolutely balling.
McCaffrey put up four touchdowns on Sunday against the Cardinals (three rushing, one receiving) to go along with 177 all-purpose yards. He had seven receptions total and averaged 10.1 yards per catch. There was nothing Arizona could do to stop him.
Talk all you want about Brock Purdy’s consistency. Bring up Brandon Aiyuk’s leap forward (which our Christian D’Andrea detailed really well here!). Talk about how great the 49ers defense is.
If McCaffrey keeps this up we’re potentially looking at a 2,500-plus yards-from-scrimmage season along with something around 30 total touchdowns. It’s going to take a lot to get there and he’ll obviously have to stay healthy. But, man. That would be an MVP season if I’d ever seen one.
And I need that to happen, folks. I absolutely need it. The theater of it all would be too good. There are a couple of reasons why here.
First, do you remember the last time a running back won MVP? It was 2012. Adrian Peterson. If McCaffrey were to win MVP, he’d be the first running back since Peterson to win the award. He’d also be the fifth back in the last 20 years to win the award. That’d just be fun.
But the irony of a running back winning MVP while the league is actually working to depress their positional value would be incredible. That’s what I really want to see.
The NFL has running backs fighting for their football lives right now. These dudes just cannot get paid. I know you remember the Zoom call. Jonathan Taylor, Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs and more. They’ve all essentially been told they’re replaceable — some through contracts, others more directly (looking at you, Jim Irsay).
But this dude McCaffrey? Nah. Try replacing that. I dare you, NFL. It’s impossible. He’s too good. That’s why he’s the most valuable player in the NFL right now.
Even if it’s at the so-called least valuable position.
An Eastern Conference arms race
It took a full offseason for us to finally get here, but transaction season in the NBA is finally going off.
The Milwaukee Bucks broke the league by trading for Damian Lillard, putting one of the best offensive point guards we’ve ever seen alongside one of the best overall talents the league has ever had in Giannis Antetokounmpo.
To get that, though, Milwaukee had to sacrifice a lot. Jrue Holiday was that a lot. He might be the best perimeter defender in the league. And, now, he’s a Boston Celtic.
The Trail Blazers traded Holiday to the C’s for a bunch of stuff on Sunday, including Robert Williams, Malcolm Brogdon and a couple of draft picks.
RELATED: Who won the Trail Blazers-Celtics trade?
Boston and Milwaukee just tightened their grip on the rest of the Eastern Conference with this one. It’s those two and everyone else — especially with James Harden not showing up to 76ers media day. It feels like the Boston-Milwaukee Eastern Conference Finals is inevitable.
That’s totally fine by me. Sign me up for it.
Speaking of inevitability…the WNBA Finals are here
And it’s the two teams that we always thought it would be in the end — the Las Vegas Aces vs. the New York Liberty. This is going to be such a fun series.
Honestly, I have no idea how things will end up.
The Liberty and Aces played each other five times this year. New York won three of those games pretty handily. But the Aces were without Candace Parker, who is still out behind a foot fracture.
The Aces also haven’t lost a single game so far in these playoffs. Meanwhile, the Liberty have somewhat struggled — particularly Breanna Stewart, who has been uncharacteristically inefficient so far through six games.
We’re due for an amazing series of basketball. I can’t wait to watch it. It all starts next Sunday, October 8 at 3 p.m. ET.
Quick hits: The worst quarterbacks of Week 4 … It’s over for Bill Belichick … and more
— Y’all know what time it is. Christian D’Andrea has the grossest QB performances of Week 4 ready to go.
— Bill Belichick just had the worst loss of his career to the Cowboys on Sunday. It might be over for Mac Jones. Mary Clarke has more.
— Donna Kelce was on the move on Sunday from New York to Philly and she got to hang with Taylor Swift again. She’s living the dream. Caroline Darney has more.
— The Bills’ defense is carrying Buffalo so nicely right now. Robert Zeglinski has more.
— This Patrick Mahomes slide absolutely crushed bettors on Sunday night. Christian has more.
— Charles Curtis has everything you need to know about the MLB playoffs right here.
That’s all, folks! Let’s do it again tomorrow. Thanks for reading.
