Jarrett Bell unveils his Week 4 awards: Even Rex Ryan gets mentioned this time
Awards, observations and a quick review of Week 4 in the NFL….
Studs of the week: Matt Ryan and Julio Jones. Here’s what happens when you decide to put your cornerbacks on an island to cover maybe the most dangerous receiver in football, with a red-hot MVP candidate throwing passes: They eat you alive and make history. The Carolina Panthers discovered this in the worst way on Sunday. Ryan and Jones became the first quarterback and receiver in NFL history to post a 500-yard passing and 300-yard receiving game, respectively, in the same game. Jones, six days after a one-catch outing at New Orleans, caught 12 passes, including one that he took 75 yards to paydirt. Ryan completed 28 of 37 passes for 503 yards, with 4 TDs. Jones is the sixth player to put up a 300-yard game, finishing in striking distance of the single-game record that Flipper Anderson established with a 336-yard game in 1989. Ryan, the 19th passer to crack 500, was maybe one more big strike away from surpassing the NFL record of 554 yards by Norm Van Brocklin that has stood since 1951.
Defensive player of the week: Aqib Talib. The Broncos cornerback marked his return to the scene where he began his NFL career by intercepting Bucs quarterback Jameis Winston twice to add emphasis to Denver’s victory. According to Pro Football Focus, Talib allowed just one catch for six yards. Afterward, though, he insisted that he was “embarrassed” because he was caught and tackled by a lineman on the 25-yard return after his first pick.
Special teamer of the week: Will Fuller. No rookie who doesn’t play quarterback has probably has as much impact as the Texans’ first-round receiver, who as the opposite target to DeAndre Hopkins, leads Houston with 19 receptions. Against Tennessee, he served notice of another way to contribute. He took his first and only punt return of the season 67 yards for a touchdown. With a 5-yard scoring grab, too, Fuller became just the fourth rookie in the past 15 to score on a reception and punt return in the same game.
Rookie of the week: Dak Prescott. Amid reports that Tony Romo will increase his rehab load this week with a return projected for the end of the month, the Cowboys keep winning with their super-composed fill-in quarterback. Dallas, 1-11 without Romo last season, won its third straight with Prescott at the helm at San Francisco. And again, zero turnovers. Prescott has extended his streak of passes without a pick to 131 – not only the most by a rookie, but also most for any player in his first four career games. In other words: I’ll see you and raise you, Carson Wentz.
Comeback player of the week: Jimmy Graham. This was the impact tight end the Seahawks thought they were getting in the trade last year with the Saints. Graham abused the Jets with six catches for 113 yards, fluid as he stretched the field to complement a phenomenal game by Russell Wilson. After his 2015 campaign was derailed by a torn patellar tendon, it has been a gradual rebound for Graham. Yet with his best game since the injury and back-to-back 100-yard games, perhaps it’s a sign of renewed confidence – and major headaches ahead for opposing defenses.
Unsung hero: Vince Williams. With Ryan Shazier sidelined by a knee injury, Williams filled in at inside linebacker and produced a monster game for a Steelers defense looking to rebound from a debacle at Philadelphia. In addition to calling the defensive signals, Williams tallied a game-high 15 tackles and cleaned up on a rush by Cam Heyward (three sacks) to bag a sack. His most impressive moment in the romp of the Chiefs came in the second half when Williams hustled downfield to chase down Spencer Ware on a 46-yard run that prevented a touchdown.
This week’s genius: Rex Ryan. Sure, the Patriots were without Tom Brady and were quarterbacked by third-string rookie Jacoby Brissett. But a win’s a win. Especially for the loquacious Bills coach, who had never won a regular season game in Foxborough and was seemingly on such a hot seat two weeks ago that he (or the team owners) fired offensive coordinator Greg Roman. For all of the talk leading up to the game about Bill Belichick’s greatness in guiding his team to a 3-0 start without the NFL’s best quarterback, Ryan’s crew descended on Foxborough and delivered a reality check: The Patriots still need TB12 to be those Patriots. And the usually composed Belichick became so annoyed at one point that he threw his tablet to the ground in disgust. So put an asterisk next to the fact that New England was shut out for the first time at Gillette Stadium. But don’t put an asterisk on Buffalo’s two-game winning streak, because Ryan’s players – including the over-zealous ones who pick fights in pre-game warmups – are playing hard for their coach in rallying from their inauspicious start.
Boneheaded blunder: The Browns just can’t catch a break. With Cleveland running back Duke Johnson holding the football aloft a few feet away from a scrum where players may have believed they were mining for gold, line judge Sarah Thomas signaled that it was Washington’s football – which equated to the phantom recovery of a fumble. With no available replay to confirm what all went down – despite all of the technology and camera angles that seem to catch everything -- it’s another tough break for the NFL’s officiating efforts. Somewhere, the much-maligned Jeff Triplette just had to be in the vicinity. He was. Triplette – whose long history of mishaps includes throwing a penalty flag weighted with BBs that caused significant damage as it struck Orlando Brown in the eye – was the referee at FedEx Field. He also flagged Josh Norman for firing an imaginary bow and arrow in celebrating an interception. Really?
POWER RANKINGS: 3 NEW TEAMS IN TOP TEAM
How ya like me now? Case Keenum. Look who’s in first place? The Los Angeles Rams, 3-1, after upsetting the defending NFC West champs in Arizona. And look who’s still at quarterback: Keenum, holding onto the starting job that keeps the man drafted to replace him -- No. 1 overall pick Jared Goff -- on the bench. Keenum has bounced back from the opening night disaster at San Francisco and the lack of punch exhibited when the Rams didn’t score a touchdown in the first two games. While the running game still struggles, he had his best game of the season against the Cardinals (18 of 30, 266 yards, 2 TDs, 111.2 rating). Of course, a tough, big-play defense provides the backbone for the Rams, who have closed out each of their three consecutive victories with defensive stands. Keenum lost a fumble on Sunday, but he didn’t throw a pick – which is part of the formula that complements the D. And in his last eight starts dating to last season, the Rams are 6-2.
Spartan of the week:Le’Veon Bell. So much for gradually knocking off the rust. The Steelers’ star rushed for 144 yards and totaled 178 from scrimmage in the rout of the Chiefs, illustrating his typical versatility in his return from a three-game suspension for violating the NFL’s substance abuse policy. He started last year with a similar suspension. Maybe next year, Bell will kick the habit of starting the season in such fashion.
Did you notice? Three teams that opened the season with discouraging losses – Dallas, Atlanta and Los Angeles – haven’t lost since. They are all 3-1. Then again, two teams with big Week 1 victories – Detroit and Tampa Bay – haven’t won since and are in last place. The moral of the patterns: Don’t read too much into what happens in Week 1. It’s a long season.
Stat’s the fact: Washington tight end Jordan Reed is one of the most underrated stars in the NFL. During a nine-catch, two-touchdown effort in a victory against Cleveland, the fourth-year pro posted his 200th career catch. It was his 38th NFL game. He’s the fastest tight end in the NFL history to reach that milestone, eclipsing the pace of Hall of Famer Kellen Winslow, who caught his 200th reception in 39 games.
Follow NFL columnist Jarrett Bell on Twitter @JarrettBell