NFL Week 2 awards: Von Miller looks unstoppable
A final look back at Week 2 in the NFL, with the usual awards and observations…
Stud of the week: Von Miller. In case anyone forgot, the Denver Broncos linebacker provided a flashback of his Super Bowl 50 MVP form during crunch time against the Indianapolis Colts. With Indianapolis looking to mount a go-ahead inside the final two minutes, Miller barreled off the edge and forced an Andrew Luck fumble with a crushing hit – one of his three sacks on the day – that Shane Ray returned for the game-sealing score.
Offensive player of the week: Cam Newton. The Carolina Panthers QB NFL’s reigning MVP was hardly perfect, having his first pass against the San Francisco 49ers intercepted and losing a fumble, but with four TD passes and 353 passing yards – the second-highest single-game total of his career – Newton served notice that there were no ill-effects from the pounding he took at Denver in Week 1. Yes, Superman is still in effect, with some new TD celebration routine. And so is Clark Kent, given that barbershop quartet hat he wore to the postgame press conference.
Special teamer of the week: Lawrence Guy. The Baltimore Ravens were flirting being on the wrong end of the biggest upset of the young season – losing 20-0 to the Cleveland Browns, late in the first quarter – when Guy provided a spark by blocking an extra point. Great effort. Tavon Young returned the block and suddenly it was 20-2. Game on. The Ravens rallied to win, and the special teams – including three Justin Tucker field goals, including 52- and 49-yarders, and a 48-yard kick return by Devin Hester – left an indelible footprint on the result.
Rookies of the week: Dak Prescott and Carson Wentz. After Prescott on Sunday became just the second quarterback to win for the Dallas Cowboys in their last 15 games without Tony Romo, with a sharp performance at Washington (22-of-30, 292 yards, plus a 6-yard TD run) Wentz followed up and kept his mojo flowing for the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night in Chicago (21-of-34, 190 yards, TD). It is sure looking like the NFC East had quite the budding quarterback rivalry on tap. Prescott broke Warren Moon’s rookie record for passes without an interception to start a career (72), with his streak now at 75. Wentz, meanwhile, has thrown 71 passes with a pick and is the first rookie quarterback to win his first two starts without committing an interception. In providing respective boosts, they are not playing like rookies.
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Comeback player of the week: Sam Bradford. Although his solid effort was marred by Adrian Peterson’s knee injury, Bradford’s fresh start with the Vikings – after his sputtering in Philadelphia – got off on the good foot with his Minnesota debut. Two weeks after Minnesota swung the trade with Philadelphia in the wake of Teddy Bridgewater’s season-ending knee injury, Bradford was clearly the best quarterback on the field on Sunday night as the Vikings toppled Aaron Rodgers and the Packers. He completed 22 of 31 passes for 286 yards, with two TDs and without a turnover. Of course the other part of the challenge for Bradford, given his own injury history, is to stay healthy enough to remain on the field.
Boneheaded blunder? Or not. A holding penalty by Steve Nelson that wiped up an apparent 105-yard kick return TD by Tyreek Hill that would have kept the Kansas City Chiefs in striking range during the closing minutes of their loss at Houston was highly questionable, in the view of Kansas City coach Andy Reid. The way Reid saw it, Texans coverer Charles James “flopped” to draw the penalty. Sour grapes? Perhaps. Then again, perhaps “flopping” is not an exclusive NBA issue.
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How ya like me now? Ryan Fitzpatrick went back to Buffalo and seemingly exorcised some demons with his big game for the New York Jets on Thursday night. It wasn’t just that Fitzpatrick – who was 1-8 in his previous nine games against Rex Ryan-coached defenses -- won while avoiding the type of costly turnovers that plagued him on his previous visit. It was a matter how Fitzpatrick burned Buffalo with the long ball. His 374-yard night included eight completions of at least 17 yards, with two netting 30-plus yards. The knock on Fitzpatrick, dating back to his four seasons with the Bills, was that he couldn’t throw the deep ball. That was hardly the case this time.
Did you notice? For the second week in a row, James Harrison provided the finishing touch on a Pittsburgh Steelers victory with a turnover. Sure, it was controversial as Harrison forced receiver Tyler Boyd’s fumble that thwarted a late Cincinnati Bengals drive. Officials couldn’t conclusively determine from replay whether the ball was coming out as Boyd’s knee hit the turf. In any event, six days after an end zone pick of Kirk Cousins put the wraps on a win at Washington, the 38-year-old linebacker is proving to be quite the closer to start his 14th NFL season.
Stat’s the fact: Texans receiver Will Fuller, who caught four passes for 104 yards in a victory against Kansas City, is just the third rookie to post 100-yard receiving games in each of his first two games. He joins a list that includes Don Looney (1940) and DeSean Jackson (2008).
Follow Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell.
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