NFL Week 7 awards: Lamar Miller had himself a half

With bye weeks in full swing, Week 7 of the 2015 NFL season wasn’t quite as riveting from top to bottom as some of the other slates in recent memory. However, there were still many standout individual performances to chronicle on Thursday, Sunday and even Monday.

Let’s take a look at the best players from this week, beginning with a glance at the electric rookies on both sides of the ball.

Offensive Rookie of the Week

Todd Gurley, RB St. Louis Rams

Todd Gurley continues to be ridiculous. The first-year running back from Georgia amassed 128 rushing yards on just 19 carries on Sunday. And he wasn’t only a threat on the ground, adding four catches for 35 yards through the air. Gurley contributed two touchdowns to help the Rams to a 24-6 victory over the Browns, despite the Rams inexplicably going away from him early in the contest.

At this point, Gurley is a runaway leader in the Rookie of the Year pursuit, and there is legitimate buzz brewing that he could be joining the ranks of the elite running backs in the entire NFL. Watch out.

Runner-up: Amari Cooper, WR Oakland Raiders

Defensive Rookie of the Week

Eric Kendricks, LB Minnesota Vikings

Eric Kendricks isn’t a household name by any stretch. In fact, he flew under the radar for the entirety of his college career, as he played alongside names like Anthony Barr and Myles Jack. Still, the 6-foot, 232-pound linebacker from UCLA is making an impact for the Vikings after being drafted in the second round, and he performed quite well in a 28-19 victory over the Detroit Lions.

Kendricks contributed two sacks (to lead all rookies) and six solo tackles in the win, and he was all over the field at times during the game. Minnesota’s defense performed quite well as a unit, but Kendricks jumped off the screen throughout the day, and he is living up to expectations in a big way during the first half of his debut season.

Runner-up: Landon Collins, S New York Giants

Next: Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week