NFL Week 9 awards: Marcus Mariota looks the part
By Brad Rowland
With marquee match-ups like Packers-Panthers and Broncos-Colts, the NFL was set for a potentially explosive and entertaining weekend. The slate lived up to every lofty expectation, and there were even some last-minute heroics from a few unlikely candidates to make things even more interesting.
Today’s agenda is to examine those games and hand out individual awards for standout efforts, and that is exactly what we will do. Let’s get to the names, starting with Marcus Mariota.
Offensive Rookie of the Week
Marcus Mariota, QB Tennessee Titans
It is now an upset every time that a fellow rookie upends Todd Gurley for this honor, but Marcus Mariota is a no-brainer for Week 9. The number two overall pick had his second-best game of the season in leading the Titans to an upset road win over New Orleans, and the numbers back up Mariota’s stellar play.
He completed 28 of 39 passes for 371 yards in the game, and in addition to those gaudy stats, Mariota connected on four (!) touchdown passes without issuing an interception. It would be easy to dismiss a strong game against a questionable (to be kind) secondary for the Saints, but Mariota was so fantastic in this game that the defense cannot take full blame, and his performance in leading an undermanned team to a road win was quite impressive.
Runner-up: Karlos Williams, RB Buffalo Bills
Defensive Rookie of the Week
Jordan Hicks, LB Philadelphia Eagles
Jordan Hicks really enjoyed his return to Texas. The third-round pick helped to lead the Eagles to a close-fought road win over the Cowboys on Sunday night, and the former Texas Longhorns standout could not have asked for better timing to have arguably his best game of the season.
Hicks made the single biggest play of the night, jumping a route in the flat and picking off Matt Cassel for a touchdown in the second half, and without that play, the Eagles likely do not emerge victorious. In addition, Hicks contributed seven tackles in the game, and that number may have been greater if not for a late injury that forced him to the sideline.
Unfortunately, that injury, a torn pectoral muscle, will sideline Hicks for the remainder of the season, but that does not lessen the impact that he made on Sunday evening. Philadelphia’s defense remains criminally underrated in the shadow of Chip Kelly and Sam Bradford, and Hicks proved that he belonged as a valuable member of one of the best front sevens in the NFL.
Runner-up: Ronald Darby, CB Buffalo Bills
Next: Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week