NFL Week 15 Awards
By: Maxwell Argento
Tags: United States, Sports, NFL, Creative Writing, Football

NFL Week 15 Awards

By: Maxwell Argento

Team of the Week: Buffalo Bills

This award goes to the Buffalo Bills for their 46–19 victory over the Denver Broncos on Saturday night, which clinched the team’s first AFC East division title for the organization in 25 years.

The Josh Allen star has never burned as bright, his 359 yards and 2 touchdowns on 28 of 40 throws dicing Vic Fangio’s defense apart. Stefon Diggs and Cole Beasley both can’t help but get open right now, and the defense is back to their stingy 2019 ways. As far as genuine threats to the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC go, the Bills are at the top of the list.

Player of the Week: Baker Mayfield

Another week in the book, another passed test by the Browns quarterback. Mayfield’s 297 yards and two touchdowns in the air on 27–32 throwing was the biggest reason for the Browns coming away with the victory against the New York Giants on Sunday Night Football. On a night where Joe Judge made sure the Browns run game didn’t beat them, Mayfield’s distribution of the football (he found eight different targets in this game) was the deciding factor. If #6 in brown and orange continues to look this sure of himself down the stretch Kevin Stefanski will back his team’s chances to win their last two games of the year.

Coach of the Week: Brian Flores

Coach of the Week goes to Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores for eliminating his former team, the New England Patriots, from the playoffs in the year 2020. Flores has constructed a team that looks a lot like some of the teams he coached in Foxborough, with all three phases of his team playing sound, well-coached football. His handling of the Tua Tagovailoa/Ryan Fitzpatrick quarterback situation has been phenomenal, and the team has four picks in the first two rounds of this upcoming draft. Watch out for the Miami Dolphins in the first half of this decade.

Rookie of the Week: Justin Herbert

Rookie of the Week, more like Rookie of the Year. Justin Herbert has been one of the lone bright spots coming from the AFC-half of Los Angeles this season, and the trend continued this week.

The former Oregon star went 22 of 32 for 314 yards with two touchdowns in the team’s victory over the Las Vegas Raiders on Thursday, and is never not one of the most physically dominant presences on the field. Chargers players will have a new coach to answer to next fall, but regardless of who is calling the plays I see Herbert being a top 5–10 quarterback commodity in the NFL for years and years to come.

Unit of the Week: Titans Skill Players

The Titans offense dropped 46 points on the Detroit Lions’ head on Sunday, continuing to prove to everyone why they should be one of the most feared groups in the league. The biggest reason for the offense’s success can be traced to the skill players of the Titans, namely Derrick Henry, Corey Davis, and A.J. Brown.

Henry, who is the leading rusher in the sport, tallied 147 yards and a touchdown on 24 carries, while the wideout duo combined for nine receptions, 154 yards and two touchdowns. The most impressive thing to me about the three is their collective size, as well as their ability to physically impose themselves on their opponents. As the weather gets colder and more aggressive, the Titans being able to say that their three best weapons are also their most physically imposing is a huge asset.

Surprise of the Week: Mitch Trubisky’s Bears Offense

Surprise of the Week goes to the Chicago Bears and Mitch Trubisky for scoring thirty points for the third straight week in their 33–27 victory over the Vikings on Sunday. The Bears offense has looked much more sound and effective since the re-introduction of Trubisky three weeks ago, and Matt Nagy has his team starting to play complementary football. Although the whole situation in Chicago since Nagy was named Coach of the Year in January of 2019 has been generally underwhelming (and I think there is still a chance he gets fired this year if they miss the playoffs), this three-game sample size could be the beginning of the Bears finding a new level on offense moving forward, regardless of whether Trubisky is the quarterback or not.

Moment of the Week: Oklahoma QB Matchup

The Moment of the Week in the National Football League for me was watching two former Oklahoma stars in the form of Jalen Hurts and Kyler Murray duke it out in the desert on Sunday. The pair combined for 744 yards through the air and three total touchdowns (two of which were rushing) in a contest that saw the Cardinals keep their playoff hopes alive with a 33–26 win at home. Watching both players be as effective as they were from the quarterback position with their unique “measurables” and skillsets shows just how much the game has changed over the last decade or so, and shows which direction the game is moving. Oh and by the way, it’s probably safe to say the Carson Wentz era in Philadelphia is over huh?

Joke of the Week: The New York Jets

The New York Jets staved off the reality of going 0–16 by beating the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday 23–20, and in the process put the Jacksonville Jaguars in the driver’s seat to get generational talent Trevor Lawrence with the first pick in next year’s NFL draft. Leave it to them to identify the one thing that they couldn’t do if they really wanted Lawrence, and then decide to do it anyway. Bold strategy Jets…I dig it.