What. A. Week. As we march on to December, Week 13 has provided perhaps one of the greatest passing days in NFL history. 16 quarterbacks posted a passer rating of at least 100.0, eight passed for at least 350 yards, three quarterbacks passed for 5 touchdowns or more, and 12 quarterbacks posted a QBR of at least 80.0.
From the Tom Brady-Aaron Rodgers showdown, to Ryan Fitzpatrick’s career day, as well as ones from Drew Brees and Andrew Luck, to the Rams jaw dropping 52-0 shutout of the Raiders, to 6 AFC teams with a 7-5 record, what better way to recap the very best from Week 13 with some awards?
NFL Week 13 Awards
Best QB: Ryan Fitzpatrick (Houston Texans)
Overshadowed by his son’s impressive math and J.J. Watt, Ryan Fitzpatrick had the best game of his career by far.
As well as passing the stat test with 24/33 passes completed for 358 yards, 6 touchdowns, 0 interceptions, a passer rating of 147.5 and a QBR of 99.6, the Amish Rifle also passed the eye test. 4 of his 9 incompletions were drops, and he was a master on the deep ball, firing beautiful deep touchdowns to DeAndre Hopkins, completing all 9 attempts he threw to the receiver as well (check Fitzpatrick’s third touchdown pass; one of the best throws I’ve seen this season).
Very impressive considering this guy was benched for Ryan Mallet.
Honorable Mentions: Drew Brees, Andrew Luck, Aaron Rodgers, Philip Rivers
Best RB: LeSean McCoy (Philadelphia Eagles)
2013’s best running back, LeSean McCoy started the year off rough, but since week 5 has performed like the top runningback once again.
Thanksgiving Day was no different. Taking advantage of the Cowboys secondary and a solid Eagles offensive line, McCoy throttled through for 159 yards, 1 touchdown, and 6.4 yards per carry. A fumble aside, LeSean pulled another impressive game on perhaps the best offense in the NFL, helping guide Philadelphia to a 33-10 victory.
Honorable Mentions: CJ Anderson, Tre Mason, Mark Ingram, Chris Johnson
Best WR: DeAndre Hopkins (Houston Texans)
Fitzpatrick’s ace in the hole on Sunday, DeAndre Hopkins exploded on Sunday’s 45-21 Texan victory over the Titans.
Catching all 9 passes (!!!) for 238 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 26.4 yards per reception is no easy task regardless of the opponent, but that’s exactly what Hopkins did. The deep ball separation was key for the Texans passing game, and Hopkins put on of the best performances from a receiver thus far this season.
Honorable Mentions: Kenny Stills, Calvin Johnson, Julio Jones, Donte Moncrief
Best TE: Coby Fleener (Indianapolis Colts)
Yes, he dropped that WIDE OPEN PASS THAT WOULD HAVE BEEN A TOUCHDOWN, but Coby Fleener otherwise performed at a high level on Sunday in a 49-27 victory over the Redskins.
Catching 4 receptions for 127 yards, 2 touchdowns, and 31.8 yards per reception, Fleener gets the game ball for tight ends this week.
Honorable Mentions: Jordan Reed, Rob Gronkowski, Antonio Gates, Heath Miller
Defensive Player of the Week: J.J. Watt (Houston Texans)
New drinking game: Drink every time J.J. Watt wins this award.
Aside from his offensive touchdown, Watt again was a defensive master, getting 2 sacks, 1 tackle for a loss, SIX QB hits, and a forced fumble. This was the standard J.J. Watt game, as he put enough pressure on Zach Mettenberger to prevent any rhythm for the Titans offense, putting 3 hurries up as well.
Watt else is new? (Sorry.)
Best Kicker: Connor Barth (Denver Broncos)
On a day where Peyton Manning struggled in the 2nd half (completing 4 of his 14 passes), it was Connor Barth that helped make the outcome decisive, kicking 5/5 on his field goals, including a long of 37, helping the Broncos get a critical 29-16 victory at Kansas City.
Reminder, this guy is the THIRD KICKER DENVER HAS USED.
Biggest Upset: San Diego Chargers
On a toughly played road game between San Diego and Baltimore, Philip Rivers and Joe Flacco played excellent football, but Rivers came through with a huge victory on the road.
After throwing an interception on his first pass attempt, Rivers shook it off and guided the Chargers with 383 yards and 3 touchdowns, including a game winner to Eddie Royal.
Keenan Allen caught 11 passes for 121 yards and 2 touchdowns, Antonio Gates continued to be effective even at an old age (7 catches for 83 yards), and the defense did enough at the end to seal a victory, including a game ending tackle by Brandon Flowers to prevent Kamar Aiken from going out of bounds on the last play (Baltimore used up all their timeouts previously), ending the game.
For Rivers, it’s the best he’s looked since the Thursday Night game against the Broncos, and one that puts him back on track for the MVP race.
Best Team: Philadelphia Eagles
I wasn’t messing around when I said this could be the best offense in the NFL.
The Eagles played a statement game on Thanksgiving, controlling the tempo throughout the entire game on offense, where Mark Sanchez advanced the ball very well, and LeSean McCoy used his talents to elevate the offense even further.
The defense did a phenomenal job as well. Tony Romo and his supporting cast struggled, and the Eagles defense forced 2 very bad interception throws, to go along with 4 sacks, 8 tackles for a loss, 6 deflected passes, and 5 QB hits.
Philly now controls the NFC East for good at 9-3.
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