Even effusive praise from Tiger Woods didn’t help Stanford’s Christian McCaffrey win the Heisman last year. And after finishing second to Alabama’s Derrick Henry, McCaffrey is going to have a hard time again this year trying to win it. There are two main obstacles in his path. One is Louisville’s Lamar Jackson, who will inevitably cool down but who has contributed 18 touchdowns in the first three games. The second reason is McCaffrey himself. Last year’s version of McCaffrey is nearly impossible to beat. Whatever he does this year — and he’s kicking ass — it’ll still pale by comparison.
Because Christian McCaffrey had more all-purpose yards last year than “any other player in FBS history” — as the excellent Matt Hinton points out at Uproxx. McCaffrey averaged 276 yards per game last season. His 298 rushing yards, 106 receiving yards, 50 kick return and 16 punt return yards through two games this year — astonishing stats — still leave him 40 yards off last year’s per game average. McCaffrey will have to break more than a couple 80 yard kick returns to get even close to rivaling his own gaudy records. McCaffrey’s everyday greatness might just make his accomplishments seem, well, everyday.
