With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we give thanks to a week full of exciting moments. From Odell Beckham Jr’s catch that caught the attention of the entire internet age, to the Cardiac Kids from Cleveland pulling out another thriller in Atlanta, to the AFC North’s domination, to the NFC South’s struggles, to Peyton Manning breaking Dan Marino’s game winning drive record, to Tony Romo’s 27th game winning drive, to Justin Forsett’s supreme running display, to TY Hilton scoring a touchdown for his new born daughter, to the Seahawks regaining some ground against Arizona, and of course, to the Raiders getting their first win of the season, Week 12 packed it all, and then some.
And with this in mind, I hand out my weekly awards.
NFL Week 12 Awards
Best QB: Tony Romo (Dallas Cowboys)
The 34-year-old Cowboys quarterback has always played great, underrated and under-appreciated football since he became Dallas’ starter in 2006, but 2014 might be his best season yet, despite back injuries. Sunday night’s primetime performance at New York was perhaps his best example.
Romo put on a near flawless display of passing, leading two excellent touchdown throws to Dez Bryant late in the second half. And while the pass protection deserves a lot of credit, Romo deserves a ton for being able to read the defense late in the fourth quarter on the Cowboys’ final drive. His patience, mobility, field awareness, and throw to Dez Bryant for the game winning touchdown was perfection, and why I say he’s probably a better talent at quarterback than Troy Aikman ever was.
Props to Tony Romo for securing a victory for the Cowboys on the road, on primetime, in the fourth quarter (or when the narrative of him “choking” strikes in). While a tough Thanksgiving game is coming up against the Eagles, we can have games like this as momentum for that NFC East division showdown.
Romo finished 18/26 for 275 yards, 10.6 yards per attempt, four touchdowns, no interceptions, a 143.4 passer rating, and a 92.2 QBR (highest of week 12). He set franchise records for most four touchdown games in Cowboys history with nine, and posted the 27th game winning drive of his career.
Honorable Mentions: Peyton Manning, Tom Brady, Ryan Tannehill, Kyle Orton
Best RB: Justin Forsett (Baltimore Ravens)
Who exactly IS this guy?! After moving around on four different teams in the past six years, it appears Justin Forsett may have found a home in Baltimore after coming out as one of the year’s most explosive running backs.
And on Monday Night, he had the game of his career. Forsett’s vision and cutting matched that of the elite running backs, and 82 of his 182 yards came before first contact, according to Pro Football Focus. Forsett was critical in the Ravens 34-27 victory on the road against the Saints in a hotly contested AFC North race, where all four teams have seven wins through week 12.
A perfect fit in Gary Kubiak’s play-action centered offense, Forsett finished with 182 yards, two touchdowns, and 8.3 yards per carry, also leading 2014 in yards per carry (5.8). Along with Steve Smith Sr, his signing has elevated the Ravens offense.
Honorable Mentions: CJ Anderson, LeSean McCoy, Alfred Morris, Eddie Lacy
Best WR: Odell Beckham Jr. (New York Giants)
Despite the 31-28 loss, football fans all across America got to see the rookie talent of Odell Beckham, Jr.
We can talk about his catch for all eternity, but even doing that puts this to injustice. It’s a better catch that the one David Tyree made in the Super Bowl in my mind, though far less iconic, and it just might go down as the best of the entire decade.
Of course, you don’t just get a wide receiver of the week award for one spectacular catch. Beckham Jr. was excellent throughout Sunday Night, showing off his athleticism, wingspan, and catch radius. Eli Manning’s quietly had a very good season, and Beckham has certainly helped.
Beckham Jr. finished with ten catches for 146 yards, two touchdowns (including one that will last a lifetime), and 14.6 yards per reception.
Honorable Mentions: Emmanuel Sanders, TY Hilton, Anquan Boldin, AJ Green
Best TE: Tim Wright (New England Patriots)
ANOTHER TIGHT END BESIDES ROB GRONKOWSKI EXISTS FOR THE PATRIOTS?!
Remember when we all criticized (myself included) the Logan Mankins-Tim Wright trade New England made to Tampa Bay after Tom Brady struggled in his first four games? Good times. Tim Wright proved that Bill Belichick is an absolute genius whenever he feels like being one, and Wright was sharp when needed to be against the Lions at home.
Wright caught five passes for two touchdowns, and was superb at getting open on his catches. He was part of the difference in a 34-9 blowout Patriots victory.
Honorable Mentions: Delanie Walker, Rob Gronkowski, Travis Kelce, Jimmy Graham
Defensive Player of the Week: Bobby Wagner (Seattle Seahawks)
In his first game back since week 6, Wagner once again provided the difference maker in the Seahawks defense destroying perhaps the best team in the NFC: the Arizona Cardinals.
Wagner didn’t put up the gaudy raw stats, but what he put up was pretty spectacular. With seven pass rushes, three run defense stops, one quarterback hit, and numerous amounts of squeezing past Arizona’s offensive line, there’s no way I couldn’t award this to Wagner, as his impact helped give Seattle a 19-3 victory at home.
Best Kicker: Dan Carpenter (Buffalo Bills)
Some of my Bills followers tell me this guy is the best kicker in the NFL. While that’s a reach, performances like this make a good case for Dan Carpenter. A big contributor to the Bills huge 38-3 victory over the Jets (in Detroit), Carpenter kicked a 53-yard field goal and was 5/5 on extra points.
Biggest Upset: Oakland Raiders
For all the crap Oakland’s gone through in 2014, getting a win is well deserved.
The game surprisingly went towards Oakland’s way for the most part, and with Alex Smith and company struggling throughout, not even the fourth quarter comeback was enough.
Derek Carr wasn’t very good, but stepped up big time when he needed to, throwing a perfect game winning touchdown pass to James Jones. Latavius Murray went out injured, but not before he rushed for 112 yards on four carries for two touchdowns. The defense became a burden throughout, and on the final drive (terrible celebration by Sio Moore and Khali Mack excluding), made the Chiefs pay for their past mistakes, dialing in enough pressure for Alex Smith to force some terrible throws, sealing the first win of the season.
Eat your heart out, 2008 Detroit Lions.
Best Team: Seattle Seahawks
One of the more anticipated games of the season, the Cardinals could not pull out a win in Seattle this time around, as the defense proved too much for Drew Stanton and the crew.
It wasn’t a great offensive day, but quarterback Russell Wilson put in the most of what he had, passing 17/22 for 211 yards, one touchdown, and 73 rushing yards, passing the ball to all kinds of targets.
The defense put up three sacks, five tackles for a loss, six deflected passes, and eight quarterback hits. A statement game for the Legion of Boom, and a huge win for Seattle, as they move 7-4 on the year.
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