NFL Weekly Awards: Week 6
By Mike Dyce
The NFL’s week 6 round of games has come to an end and the FanSided team is here with our take on the weekly awards of the week. There were a lot of quality performances from players around the league but here are the winners.
Offensive Player of the Week:
Josh Sanchez: “Vernon Davis hauled in 8 catches for 180 yards and two touchdowns to help the 49ers to a big win against the Cardinals. The Niners desperately needed to turn things around, so it was great to see Davis step up and give Colin Kaepernick a quality receiver to throw to.”
Bryan Rose: “Vernon Davis: The guy was an absolute beast, scoring two touchdowns on 180 yards receiving. Some other worthy candidates, but Davis just torched the Cardinals. He also added some impressive blocks to spring Frank Gore a few times.”
Mike Dyce: “Cam Newton gets this award easy. He led the Panthers offense with 20 of 26 passing, for 242 yards and 3 touchdowns, no interceptions, a QBR of 91.7 and traditional rating of 143.4, a damn fine game. Oh, and we haven’t even added in the 9 runs for 30 yards and another touchdown.”
Defensive Player of the Week:
Josh Sanchez: “Kiko Alonso is quickly making a name for himself as one of the top defenders in the league. He has an unrivaled nose for the ball and was able to hone in on 22 tackles on the day. One word: Wow.”
Bryan Rose: “AJ Hawk: Eight tackles, three sacks and two assisted tackles. The guy was a force against a relatively solid Baltimore Ravens front line.”
Mike Dyce: “Jason Hatcher of the Dallas Cowboys. After DeMarcus Ware went out, he was the only recognizable name along that defensive line. So without Ware, without Anthony Spencer and without Jay Ratliff he stepped up with 6 tackles, 2 sacks and a tackle for a loss. He also recored two “QB hits.” He helped the Cowboys overcome their injuries.”
Game of the Week:
Josh Sanchez: “Patriots/Saints. This game had everything we love about football and it was capped off by a beautiful game-winning pass from Tom Brady to Kenbrell Thompkins. It doesn’t get any better than that.”
Bryan Rose: “Patriots/Saints: Easy and clear winner here. Just as many expected, the game lived up to its hype and even more, shocking as that may be.”
Mike Dyce: “I don’t think there is any argument that this goes to the Saints/Patriots game. It had the drama, the star players, incredible catches. Everything you could want in a game.”
Dud of the Week:
Josh Sanchez: “The New York Jets. The Jets were riding high after their Week 5 win in prime time over the Atlanta Falcons, but they came crashing back down to Earth against the Steelers. Geno Smith looked like a rookie again and showed us that it is going to be a wild roller coaster of a season in New York.”
Bryan Rose: “Houston Texans: Yikes. From Super Bowl or bust to getting lampooned at home by the St. Louis Rams. I guess when it rains, it monsoons.”
Mike Dyce: “The Broncos defense. They let the Jaguars cover! But in all seriousness, they allowed Chad Henne to throw for 303 yards and no one could stop Justin Blackmon.”
Surprise of the Week:Â
Josh Sanchez: “The Jacksonville Jaguars. It was shocking to see the Jags actually compete and use a pick-six to pull within two at halftime. Sure, the Broncos ended up blowing Jacksonville out, but it was an inspiring effort from the team that everyone had counted out.”
Bryan Rose: “Houston Texans: Yes, I’m going with the Texans again. I wasn’t exactly buying into the hype matching coming into the season, but I certainly didn’t expect this. It was one thing to lose to the 49ers or Seahawks, but to lose at home in a blowout to the Rams? And their upcoming schedule looks brutal. Tough times in Houston, no doubt.”
Mike Dyce: “To me, it’s Dwayne Harris. The Cowboys offense struggled against the Redskins on Sunday night, had it not been for Dwayne Harris’ other-worldly performance on special teams, this might have been a win for Washington. A 90-yard kick of return, and an 86 yard punt return for a touchdown. Harris out-gained the entire Cowboys offense,”