There are seven weeks left in the NFL regular season and the season is no doubt flying past in a flash. With that being the case, there is a fresh lot of performances for us to review here at betcha, and if you have been following our coverage this season, you know we are going to do just that.
Once again, we are going to have a deep dive into some of the best performances across the league from the Week Eleven slate and ensure those players get the recognition they deserve.
Without further ado, lets get things kicked off with the Offensive Rookie of the Week.
Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Week
Offensive – Tetairoa McMillan | Wide Receiver | Carolina Panthers
This week we have a second appearance for the Carolina Panthers first round pick, Arizona product Tetairoa McMillan. As we know, McMillan was selected because of his impressive frame and great ball skills, that made him one of, if not the best, pass catcher in the country last year.
For McMillan, he has been one of the key members of what has been a somewhat resurgent or even overachieving Panthers team this season, and it shows in his numbers. So far in his rookie season, McMillan has amassed 748 receiving yards, which is good for sixth in the league right now, while also tacking on four touchdowns through the air.
This weekend he put all his talents on show, and he sure made life easier for his third-year signal caller Bryce Young. On the day, McMillan reeled in eight of his twelve targets for 130 yards and two touchdowns, which was a stat line his team needed every bit of, considering they came away with an overtime victory.
Honorable Mentions: TreVeyon Henderson and Bhayshul Tuten
Defensive – Carson Schwesinger | Linebacker | Cleveland Browns
While the Browns have had yet again another poor season, there has been one overarching silver lining, and that is the play of their 2025 rookie class. Regardless if they may not have found a quarterback with their two late swings at the position, they certainly hit on a couple of their early draft picks.
The crown jewel of the class comes in the form of their second round pick and linebacker out of UCLA, Carson Schwesinger. The former walk-on turned high pedigree draft pick has been an underdog his whole football career, and he plays like someone who has a major chip on his shoulder.
This weekend Schwesinger showed his elite instincts and athleticism, flying around the park while always being in the right spot to make a play. This was shown not only in the eleven total tackles he made against the Ravens, but also in his ability to make the most of a tip-drill interception from former MVP Lamar Jackson.
For me the Browns linebacker is playing like an All-Pro as a rookie, which is just about unheard of, and he should be the runaway winner for DROY.
Honorable Mentions: Walter Nolan and Nick Emmanwori
Offensive and Defensive Players of the Week
Offensive – Bryce Young | Quarterback | Carolina Panthers
We have already talked about his No. 1 target in Tetairoa McMillan, but not only was he the best player in that stadium on the day, the best player league wide on the offensive side of the ball was Panthers quarterback Bryce Young.
The former first overall pick has had a roller coaster of a career so far, being benched as a sophomore and then showing flashes down the stretch of last season. While his play has not been super consistent, this past weekend against the Falcons was a huge showing for the Alabama product.
He likely produced the best game of his young career, going thirty one of forty five attempts for a career high 448 yards, exceeding his previous record by more than 100 yards. He also threw for three touchdowns on the day, and per PFF made two big time throws while not making any turnover worthy plays.
The question for Panthers fans will be whether Young can keep this up, as they no doubt have an outside chance at the playoffs. If he can, he might just be the franchise guy in Carolina after all.
Honorable Mentions: Michael Wilson and Josh Allen
Defensive – Myles Garrett | Edge Rusher | Cleveland Browns
This is becoming a recurring theme, but when you are playing at the level of Myles Garrett, you are no doubt going to be at the top of these weekly lists more often than not.
He was once again on a tear this weekend against divisional rivals the Ravens, and certainly against a quarterback in Lamar Jackson who is no doubt difficult to bring down. However, if there was one guy who was going to dominate and ensure that Lamar was brought down multiple times, it would be the DPOY favourite and freak of nature Myles Garrett.
Looking at the advanced metrics of Garrett’s performance, he was causing major issues for the Baltimore offensive line. On the day he had an elite 33 percent pass rush win rate, which generated seven pressures on Lamar. Those advanced analytics turned into genuine splash plays, as Garrett got home on four different occasions, taking his sack tally over the past three games to ten.
In all honesty, what Garrett is doing in the early season is beyond historic, and right now he is on pace to break the single season sack record by some margin.
Honorable Mentions: Micah Parsons and Kamren Kinchens
Highlight Of The Week | Darnell Washington Run After Catch
In a league where every athlete could be described as a unicorn, there are still some one percenters of the one percenters. This week we are going to highlight one of them, in Steelers tight end Darnell Washington, who standing at 6’7 and now confirmed at 311 pounds, made one of the plays of the season.
On a first down play in their own half, Aaron Rodgers dumped it off to Washington well short of the sticks. From there, Washington did what he does best when he is in space, and that is running over people. His first collision came when he threw a massive stiff arm on a Bengals linebacker and sent him flying. Next on the docket, down the sideline, Washington ran over another Bengals defender in emphatic style.
Finally, with the green grass running out, he made sure to find one more Bengals defender to embarrass, and poor DJ Turner who was trying to usher him out of bounds, was caught in the crossfire. In classic Washington style, he made the most of it by dropping the shoulder on Turner and sending him into the sideline benches.
The run not only earned Washington the coveted Angry Run Award from Good Morning Football, but they are also making him a graphic tee shirt because of how electric the play was to watch.
Honorable Mentions: Mark Andrews Touchdown and Kyle Dugger Pick-Six