A walk-off punt return from DeSean Jackson highlights Week 15 in the NFL.
Jay Cutler tossed three touchdowns and the Chicago Bears defence had four sacks as they pounded the Minnesota Vikings 40-14 in the Monday night game to clinch the NFC North title.
One of those sacks knocked Brett Favre out of the game with a concussion. That was a clear message from the football gods to Favre to shut it down for good.
The highlight of the game took place in the third quarter when Devin Hester of the Bears returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown. Hester now has 14 return touchdowns (punts, kick-offs, missed field goals), more than any other player in history. As the Chicago Tribune pointed out, Hester set the new NFL record in only his 74th game. It took Brian Mitchell 233 games to set the old record.
Star of the week
This is why the Baltimore Ravens have the potential to be such a dangerous team in the post-season: Ray Rice. The Ravens running back had 233 yards of total offence and scored two touchdowns in their win over the New Orleans Saints.
It isn't often I hand out this award on the basis of one play, but I truly believe the star of the week is Philadelphia Eagles receiver DeSean Jackson. In a stunning turn of events, Jackson became the first player ever to win a game in the NFL with a walk-off punt return for a touchdown at the end of the fourth quarter.
Hours after the game, Jackson Tweeted (@DeseanJackson10) this to rub salt in the wounds of the Giants and their fans: "TELL HIM TO PUNT THAT MAN THE BALL!!!!!! NOOOOOOO HE GONNA TAKE IT 2 DA HOUSE!! Ohhhhhhh Maaaaaan......"
Jackson has 45 catches for 1,024 yards, which works out to an average of 22.8 yards for every reception. Is Jackson a showboat? He sure is. Is Jackson one of the most electrifying playmakers in the NFL right now? Without a doubt. I love the fact that Andy Reid calls Jackson "the little dude".
Who will be MVP?
We continue with our look at the top candidates for the MVP award.
Patriots quarterback Tom Brady: Brady wasn't dominating, but he still threw two touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 110.2 in the Patriots' hard-fought win over the Green Bay Packers. With all due respect to Michael Vick, I just can't see how Brady doesn't win the MVP award this year.
Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan: This is becoming like a scene from Groundhog Day: Matt Ryan tossed three touchdowns as the Atlanta Falcons ran their winning streak to eight games. With the win, the Falcons have all but locked up home-field advantage throughout the NFC playoffs.
Eagles quarterback Michael Vick: Sunday's second-half performance against the New York Giants earned Vick a ton of votes for MVP. After taking a pounding in the first half, Vick exploded in the second half in the Eagles' dramatic victory. Vick threw for 209 yards and three touchdowns in the final two quarters and he also ended with 130 yards rushing while running in a four-yard touchdown. In all, Vick led the Eagles on three scoring drives in the fourth quarter as they scored a remarkable 28 points in the final 15 minutes.
Saints quarterback Drew Brees: The Saints lost to the Ravens because their defence couldn't stop Ray Rice. Brees did his part, throwing for 267 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaguars running back Maurice Jones-Drew: Jones-Drew was held to 46 yards rushing as the Jags lost a crucial game to division foes, the Indianapolis Colts. Now MJD and the Jags are in a position where they need to win out and pray for help.
Chargers quarterback Philip Rivers: In his last seven games, Rivers has thrown 16 touchdowns and a quarterback rating of 115. Thanks to Rivers' hot hand, the Chargers are 6-1 in that stretch and very much in the hunt to make the playoffs.
Stiff of the week
Houston linebacker Brian Cushing wins this award by a wide margin after he decided to get into a fight during the Houston Texans' embarrassing loss to the Tennessee Titans. The problem was that Cushing wasn't fighting someone on the Titans, he decided to start brawling with one of his own players, Antonio Smith.
Smith said the incident started when he was trading words with a member of the Titans, "then Cush (Brian Cushing) came and tried to discipline me and it just got out of hand." For his stupidity, Cushing received a 15-yard unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Team on the rise
Darren McFadden, rookie receiver Jacob Ford and defensive end Matt Shaughnessy all played a big role in the Oakland Raiders' win over Tim Tebow and the Denver Broncos. This was a significant milestone victory for the Raiders. For the first time since 2002, the Raiders will not end the season with double-digits in losses. Between 2003 and 2009, the Raiders averaged 12 losses a year. Their best season in that horrible stretch was 5-11. For the first time since the glory days of Jon (Chucky) Gruden, Raiders fans actually have hope. Led by McFadden, the Raiders can run the ball, they have some speedy playmakers at receiver and they have some badass dudes on defence.
What were they thinking?
Giants punter Matt Dodge wins this award by a wide margin after his boneheaded decision to punt the ball to Jackson at the end of their painful last-second loss to the Eagles. The entire Giants special teams unit deserves blame as well for allowing Jackson to score the game-winning touchdown. They also need to answer for being asleep at the wheel when the Eagles burned them with that onside kick mid-way through the fourth quarter.
The Race for No. 1
Carolina Panthers fans can breathe easy (they do have fans, don't they?). Even with their win over the Arizona Cardinals, they still have the inside track to the No. 1 pick in the 2011 NFL draft. Their last two games are against the Pittsburgh Steelers and Atlanta Falcons so that top pick appears to be pretty safe. Because of their current two-game winning streak, it looks like the Buffalo Bills will end up with the fifth or sixth pick overall.
The Ronnie Lott Award
Eagles receiver Jason Avant wins the award this week for his amazing block on Giants' Zak DeOssie during Jackson's game-winning punt return for a TD. Avant hit DeOssie so hard that he suffered a slight concussion on the play.
The Unsung Hero
It has to be Patriots offensive lineman Dan Connolly. The 315-pound Connolly stunned the Packers -- and his own team -- when he took off on a surreal 71-yard kickoff return. It is believed to be the longest kickoff return by an offensive lineman in NFL history. After the game, Brady had this to say about Connolly's heroics: "I've never seen anything happen so slow in my life. It was an unbelievable play. I can never imagine anything like that is going to happen. That really was a big play in the game."
Three plays after Connolly's return, Brady hit Aaron Hernandez with a touchdown that got the Patriots back in the game.
Big injury of the week
Austin Collie suffered another concussion after he was on the receiving end of another scary hit from Jaguars linebacker Daryl Smith. The problem for Collie is that he was falling down as Smith made contact and his neck and the side of his head bore the brunt of the impact.
Rex Ryan Watch
The New York Jets came away with a much-needed win on the road in Pittsburgh when they beat the Steelers 22-17. One week after admitting he nearly pulled him during their loss to the Dolphins, Ryan was heaping praise on his quarterback Mark Sanchez. "That was about as gutsy a performance as you'll find. He was absolutely outstanding; I knew he would he would respond."
We will see if Ryan is in such a good mood after next week's game in Chicago.
Hot Cheerleaders Award
Funniest moment
You have to check out this video of Danny Woodhead of the Patriots trying to sell his own jersey at Dick's Sporting goods.
What to watch for next week
One of the biggest games in Week 16 takes place in St Louis as the Rams host the San Francisco 49ers. I mean, someone has to win the NFC West, don't they?
Coming off their win over the Steelers, the Jets will receive an equally stiff test when they take on the Bears in Chicago. Meanwhile, the Giants will try to rebuild their shattered confidence when they hook up with the Packers.
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