NFL Week 8 Clutch Power Rankings

Another week of NFL action has almost concluded. All that is left is the Monday Night Football match up between the Seattle Seahawks and the St. Louis Rams. Sunday saw some thrilling finishes to games and some impressive individual performances from players.

What we’re doing here, is ranking the ‘clutch’ performances of the weekend in a power ranking. While performing under pressure and succeeding with the game on the line certainly is clutch, we’ve expanded it a bit to include players who put their team on their backs.

This isn’t cumulative for the season, it is taken on a week to week basis. All fantasy points referenced are ESPN Standard scoring.

1. Matthew Stafford, QB, Detroit Lions

One of the highlights of the weekend was the Lions comeback win over the Cowboys. Matthew Stafford’s clutch play helped them get the win over the Cowboys. He put up gaudy numbers in the game, completing 33 of 48 passes for 488 yards and a touchdown. During the final drive after getting the ball to the one-yard line, Stafford called for the spike play to stop the clock. Noticing the Cowboys defense not preparing for a play, expecting the spike, he instead took it on a quarterback sneak to win the game.

2. Calvin Johnson, WR, Detroit Lions

Does this really come as any surprise? Megatron put this team on his back and helped them come from behind to beat the Dallas Cowboys. He also had the second best game by an NFL receiver in history. Megatron caught 14 passes for 329 yards and a touchdown. That gave him a whooping 36 points in Fantasy Football. Aside from carrying this offense, Megatron also got it done on that final last-minute drive to win the game. During that drive he caught two passes for 39 yards, including one that took them to the one-yard line.

3. Sean Lee, LB, Dallas Cowboys

Sean Lee did all he could to help the Cowboys beat the Detroit Lions. He had 10 tackles, three of which were solo. He also intercepted two passes from Matthew Stafford. The interception in the second quarter, Lee returned for 15 yards. Later in that quarter, Lee intercepted another pass and returned it 74 yards to the 4-yard line. Tony Romo threw a touchdown pass to Dez Bryant three plays later, giving the Cowboys the lead before the end of the half.

4. Marvin Jones, WR, Cincinnati Bengals

The Bengals wide receiver had a huge game. He caught 8 passes for 122 yards and 4 touchdowns and that gave him 36 fantasy points. The Bengals weren’t in any danger of losing to the New York Jets thanks to Jones’ performance.

5. Andre Ellington, RB, Arizona Cardinals

Andre Ellington filled in for injured running back Rashard Mendenhall and performed exceptionally. He carried the ball 15 times for 154 yards and a touchdown, including an 80-yard run. That was 21 points for fantasy owners. The Cardinals beat the Falcons by two touchdowns.