NFL Week 15 awards: David Johnson erupts in Philadelphia

Grading out NFL awards for Week 15.

It is late December and that means that the NFL is extending itself to four different days of play. The league adds Saturday tilts to satisfy the extended appetite of football fans, and while this week’s game wasn’t exactly pretty on the surface (sorry, Jets and Cowboys), it did add to the amount of action that a casual fan can watch on a given week.

With that on the table, this week was highly entertaining from start to finish, and we are back to bring you another edition of the weekly NFL awards. Let’s do this together.

Offensive Rookie of the Week

David Johnson, RB Arizona Cardinals

We will be taking a deeper look at Johnson later in this post (SPOILER ALERT!), so instead of waxing poetic about his performance, let’s talk about the runner-up in Amari Cooper.

It has been an up-and-down season for the former Alabama standout, but Cooper was phenomenal despite his team’s losing result against Green Bay. He caught six passes for 120 yards and two touchdowns in the game, and was (quite easily) the best player on the field for the Raiders offensively. That was nice to see after a couple of no-show performances, and Cooper remains the best bet as a future NFL star in the 2015 class of receivers.

Runner-up: Amari Cooper, WR Oakland Raiders

Defensive Rookie of the Week

Marcus Peters, CB Kansas City Chiefs

Hauling in two interceptions, including one that is returned for a touchdown, is an easy way to get recognized in this space.

This is not the first inclusion for Marcus Peters this season and, in fact, he might be the front-runner for Defensive Rookie of the Year. Still, this particular performance was noteworthy beyond the interceptions, as he allowed only four catches (on 11 targets) in the game, while breaking up an additional pass to go along with his two picks.

Peters did not play a flawless game, but he showed the upside that makes him a future Pro Bowl cornerback and is a power player in why the Chiefs are absolutely rolling right now.

Runner-up: Deandre Coleman, DT Miami Dolphins

Next: Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week