Week Eight of the NFL season has been and gone, with the majority of the favourites winning and doing so in dominant fashion. In doing so, it seems like we now have a few teams pulling away from the pack and staking their claim as the best teams in the league.
With all that said, we are back at betcha with our weekly review, giving some of this weekends stars their flowers. For a couple of our weekly awards, there were some tough choices to be made, but we managed to put together our list. As we always do, let’s begin with our Offensive Rookie of the Week and work our way through the rest.
Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Week
Offensive – Oronde Gadsden II | Tight End | Los Angeles Chargers
It was a tough week for rookie offensive players, with both first-round quarterbacks struggling, Cam Skattebo being ruled out for the season, and the likes of Emeka Egbuka not firing as he often has.
This week, the award will go to a fifth-round player who, in recent weeks, has quickly become one of the most dynamic players in the league at the tight end position, Oronde Gadsden II. The Chargers rookie, coming off the back of a career week, once again proved to be a handful, this time in prime time on Thursday Night Football.
Against the Vikings, Gadsden II got into his work early and often, showing to be a key target for Justin Herbert in the early stages. He managed to reel in all five of his targets for 77 yards and a touchdown.
When combining those numbers with his two previous games, where he was given some opportunities by the coaching staff, his total sits at 299 yards and two touchdowns. Which if he can carry on stacking weeks like this, the Chargers no doubt found a steal on day three of the draft with their rookie tight end.
Honorable Mentions: Tetairoa McMillan and RJ Harvey
Defensive – Deone Walker | Defensive Interior | Buffalo Bills
The Buffalo Bills got their hands on a prospect in this class out of Kentucky by the name of Deone Walker. For those who aren’t looking into the next draft class as soon as that year’s draft is over in April, Walker was supposed to be a consensus top-five player in this year’s rookie class.
Standing at 6’7” and 340 pounds, with really solid movement skills, many thought he was a blue-chip prospect. His junior season didn’t go to plan, with some questioning his lower-body strength, pad level, and effort, causing a slide down draft boards. The Bills stopped his slide in the fourth round at pick 109, and this weekend showed exactly why.
Walker, by the numbers, had four pressures, one sack, and two stops in the run game for a negative play or at the line of scrimmage. This earned him a 77 pass-rush grade from PFF, which is the second highest of his career and a sign that the Bills might have found a diamond in the rough early on day three with their selection of Walker.
Honorable Mentions: Jahdae Barron and Abdul Carter
Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week
Offensive – Jonathan Taylor | Running Back | Indianapolis Colts
So much credit for the Indianapolis Colts needs to go to their head coach, Shane Steichen, who hasn’t always had it easy during his tenure as their leader. However, this year, with the addition of Daniel Jones through free agency and the drafting of rookie sensation Tyler Warren, they seem to have found a winning formula at 7-1.
That said, it’s one of the franchise’s stalwarts who has completely stolen the show in recent weeks, including Week Eight. That, of course, is Jonathan Taylor who, through eight games, has 143 carries for 850 yards and 12 touchdowns. Throw in his 206 yards and two touchdowns in the receiving game, and you have a mid-season MVP campaign beginning to take shape.
This past weekend, Taylor recorded his third hat-trick of the season against the Titans, with two coming on the ground and one through the air. Outside of just the end-zone production, as you would assume, Taylor moved his team up and down the field at will, with 153 rushing yards and his 80-yard house call proving to be the highlight of the day for his team.
Honorable Mentions: Saquon Barkley and Tucker Kraft
Defensive – Myles Garrett | Edge Rusher | Cleveland Browns
Many questioned Myles Garrett and his will to win this offseason after he publicly requested a trade to any contender. That request quickly turned to dust when Browns ownership offered him a forty million dollar a year contract, and he was ready to be the face of a sinking ship.
This season, Garrett has been just that, once again being a top-two defensive force in the league, and he is now likely the favourite to win DPOY honours after this past weekend. Against the rolling Patriots side, Garrett was a one man wrecking crew, collecting a single-game career high of five sacks. While that in itself is absurd, it is even more impressive to produce like that in a losing effort.
One damning stat to back up that statement is that, since sacks have been a recorded stat, Garrett is only the fourth player ever to record five or more in a game and still be on the losing side. That is no doubt why we saw him spiking his helmet on the sideline and saying in the post-game that he would rather have the win than that individual performance.
The question is, will Garrett stay put at the trade deadline, or will he force his way out? Although he got a new contract, it is certainly structured in a tradable manner, and there will be plenty of teams willing to pay the price to add Garrett to their pass rush.
Honorable Mentions: Marshon Lattimore and Kaden Elliss
Highlight Of The Week | Jaycee Horn Interception
We have already discussed the Colts and just how dominant they have been, especially Jonathan Taylor. However, another name who deserves a shout-out is the leader of their receiving corps, Michael Pittman, who is the kind of player with all the intangibles a coach wants in a leader, and who also executes his on-field role at an extremely high level.
This weekend, Pittman might have produced the best catch of his career on what I can only assume was meant to be a back-shoulder fade from quarterback Daniel Jones. However, the throw lacked the required touch, and Pittman needed to make an early adjustment to play the ball. When he turned back towards the throw, the Titans defender was grabbing his arms in what was a blatant defensive pass interference.
Regardless, Pittman fought through the illegal contact and got his eyes back to the ball just to give himself a chance. He did just that by wedging the ball between his right forearm and his rib cage while making the touchdown grab.
This play from Pittman was the definition of a circus catch because of the elite body control and strength required to pull it off while the defender was fouling him on the rep. Add in the fact that he didn’t need to use his hands, and it becomes that much more impressive.
Honorable Mentions: Jonathan Taylor 80-Yarder and Jahan Dotson “Mossed” Touchdown