NFL Week 12 awards: Russell Wilson keys Seahawks explosion
By Brad Rowland
Handing out the hardware following a Week 12 slate of NFL games
Each year, the NFL regular season is broken up to by the presence of Thanksgiving. On one hand, the holiday provides a full day of midweek football, and that is nothing to apologize for in any event. On the other, it does (slightly) take away from Sunday’s volume of games, and sometimes places the schedule into a bit of peril.
Fortunately, this year did not fall victim to that issue.
Week 12 provided fireworks, fantastic games (i.e. Patriots-Broncos on Sunday evening) and strong individual efforts from some of the best players in the sport. With that in mind, let’s take a look at who earned individual hardware this week.
Offensive Rookie of the Week
Amari Cooper, WR Oakland Raiders
Cooper’s one-catch, four-yard performance in a Week 11 loss to Detroit felt like a fluke, and it was.
The talented wide receiver from Alabama bounced back in a big way on Sunday, catching seven passes for 115 yards to help Oakland grab a road win in Nashville. Cooper’s performance was somewhat overshadowed by a career game from Seth Roberts (six catches, 113 yards, 2 TD), but make no mistake, the fourth overall pick is already the best player on the Oakland offense.
Cooper may not take home offensive rookie of the year honors, as the 2015 season presents a strong field of contenders. However, he is the best player in this class, and he reminded everyone of that against the Titans.
Runner-up: Thomas Rawls, RB Seattle Seahawks
Defensive Rookie of the Week
Landon Collins, S New York Giants
The Giants fell in Washington on Sunday, but it wasn’t the fault of Landon Collins. The rookie from Alabama produced nine tackles (eight solo) in the 20-14 loss and, generally, he was all over the field for a New York defense that desperately needed his overall impact.
Collins rated as the top safety in the NFL this week according to Pro Football Focus (+3.4), and that was reflected in his play on the field. It was a surprise that Collins fell to the second round of the 2015 NFL Draft, and through three months, it looks like a lot of teams made a significant mistake by passing on the now 21-year-old.
Runner-up: Adrian Amos, S Chicago Bears
Next: Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week