NFL Week 15 awards: David Johnson erupts in Philadelphia
By Brad Rowland
Week 15 Most Valuable Player
Cam Newton, QB Carolina Panthers
The weekly MVP award has basically turned into whether someone else can upstage Cam Newton. This week nobody managed to do that.
Newton was, once again, incredible in leading the Panthers to yet another victory, and Carolina is 14-0 on the shoulders of their star quarterback. The former No. 1 overall pick connected on five (yes, five) touchdown passes for the third time in five weeks, and Newton has now produced 18 touchdown passes against just one interception in Carolina’s last five tilts.
In this game specifically, Newton was masterful in taking advantage of the Giants defense, and his use of Carolina’s (limited) weapons was stellar. Though he completed only 56% of his passes, Newton was able to play mistake-free football throughout the day, and it cannot be overlooked that he managed to rush for 100 yards on just eight carries to add to his overall impact.
There were other stellar showings from quarterbacks around the league, ranging from a lights-out day from Kirk Cousins to a strong example of game management and efficiency from Carson Palmer. Still, there was no one better than Cam Newton, and it would be a mistake to say otherwise.
Runner-up: Kirk Cousins, QB Washington