Tag: player of the game

Brandon Aubrey’s assault on NFL kicking hierarchy takes center stage in Week 14

Brandon Aubrey continues his fantastic rookie campaign with his best game of the season. | From @TimLettiero

If Dallas wanted to keep their hopes for an NFC East championship alive they needed a win against the first-place Philadelphia Eagles. They delivered.

Unlike last week, Dallas didn’t allow the opponent endless paths to the end zone. In fact, they kept the opposing offense out of it entirely. The Cowboys  offense wasn’t firing like they have in past week, but luckily they have the hottest kicker in the league. Rookie Brandon Aubrey showed his season-long consistency as he outscored the opponent all by himself in the Cowboys’ 33-13 win.

Already up 7-0 with under a minute remaining in the first, Aubrey nailed a career long 60-yard kick with absolute ease.

Midway through the third, Aubrey makes a nearly identical kick to put Dallas up 14.

He’d go on to make two more of 45  and 50 yards, respectively, while going 3-3 on extra points to secure the Cowboys victory. His streak of perfection is still on as Dallas looks to face the elements of Buffalo next week.

Colts’ player of the game vs. Bengals: Ronnie Harrison Jr.

Ronnie Harrison Jr. is our player of the game from the loss to the Bengals.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-6) ran into a brick wall offensively as they struggled to keep up with the Cincinnati Bengals (7-6) in a 34-14 loss.

Unfortunately, their four-game winning streak ended as Jake Browning and the Bengals netted several explosive plays that the Colts could not match. (For example, at one point, three screen plays amounted to 124 yards of offense from Joe Mixon and Chase Brown.) Additionally, penalties and a turnover were the undoing for the Colts, stalling any chances they had to make something shake.

However, there was something to be hopeful about as Ronnie Harrison Jr. found a way to make an impact with the injury to linebacker EJ Speed.

Truthfully, Harrison has been playing very well since the Colts parted ways with Shaquille Leonard and gave him a chance at playing linebacker. Sunday was no different. During the game, he snagged a nifty pick-six that gave the Colts some life entering halftime.

Harrison ended the day with four total tackles, including three solo.

[lawrence-related id=92257,92269,92266]

Falcons LB Nate Landman voted Week 13 Player of the Game

Falcons LB Nate Landman voted Week 13 Player of the Game

The Atlanta Falcons won their second straight game in Week 13, a 13-8 victory over the New York Jets. While several players were injured in the process, the Falcons got the job done and now are in a position to win their first division title since the 2016 season.

Safety Jessie Bates and linebacker Nate Landman came up big once again. Both players forced a turnover and helped Atlanta win a close defensive battle. We asked our readers to select the Week 13 Player of the Game following Sunday’s win.

The polls have closed and the results are in. Nate Landman is your winner! Check out the full poll results below.

[polldaddy poll=13057915]

50 Falcons free agents

Twitter reacts to win over Jets

10 takeaways from win over Jets

Studs and Duds from Week 12

Falcons 7-round mock draft

Colts’ player of the game vs. Titans: WR Michael Pittman Jr.

Michael Pittman Jr. earned the Player of the Game honors.

The Indianapolis Colts (7-5) fought their way to a 31-28 overtime win over the Tennessee Titans (4-8) on Sunday, and they couldn’t have done it without wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr.

Continued his stellar campaign just before he’s set to hit free agency, Pittman led the Colts with 11 receptions for 105 yards and the walk-off touchdown reception in overtime after the Titans kicked a field goal on their opening drive.

This was the fifth consecutive game Pittman has recorded at least eight receptions and his ninth game this season hitting that mark.

On his way to a 11-catch game, Pittman also surpassed Marvin Harrison (311) for the most receptions by a Colts player in their first four seasons.

The Colts offense has been relatively volatile with Gardner Minshew under center, but they can find a semblance of consistency with Pittman dominating the intermediate areas of the field.

With 87 receptions for 889 yards and five touchdowns on the season, Pittman is well on his way to reaching the 100-catch mark on the season for the first time in his career.

He’s become the clear alpha in the passing game, and it would be a surprise if the Colts let him hit free agency this offseason.

[lawrence-related id=92063,92068,91989]

Prescott’s TNF performance sets Week 13 standard for MVP candidates

Prescott continues his MVP bid in a thrilling Thursday night game against the Seattle Seahawks, now the rest of the contenders must keep up. | From @TimLettiero

There was plenty on the line as Dallas looked to prove themselves against a formidable opponent on Thursday night as Seattle looked to keep their playoff hopes alive. Only one of those ended up happening.

The Dallas defense could not keep Seattle out of the end zone, leaving the winning to the offense. Thankfully for the Cowboys, the offense delivered. Spearheaded by the hottest player in the league QB Dak Prescott, the Seahawks had to munch down the Cowboys’ fifth 40 burger of the year and fly back to the Pacific Northwest on the losing end of a 41-35 battle.

Prescott finished the day with 299 passing yards, three scores through the air, and a score on the ground that was called back for holding. This wasn’t his flashiest game statistically, thanks to two end zone drops, but he captained the offense in clutch situations to squeak out a victory.

A 7-3 deficit after a quick Seattle touchdown, Dallas quickly returned the favor. In just six plays and under three minutes, the drive concluded in what feels like an inevitable Prescott to WR CeeDee Lamb touchdown.

Entering the second quarter, Prescott dipped into his Houdini bag to keep the drive alive and connect with RB Tony Pollard for a 12-yard gain.

Later that drive, the white-hot WR Brandin Cooks continued his run of good form with a wide-open catch for a touchdown on a great read from Prescott.

Skipping ahead to the fourth, Dallas finds themselves down eight needing points to keep the game within reach. On 1st-and-10, Prescott pulls more magic out of nowhere and escapes a sack to keep Dallas driving downfield.

Now only down five, Dallas needed a touchdown to take their first lead since the second quarter. Prescott drove the offense downfield efficiently to set up this all-too-easy pitch and catch with TE Jake Ferguson. This makes the score 38-35 after Prescott and Cooks connect on a two-point conversion.

Two ensuing defensive stops and a field goal would ice the game for Dallas and move them to 9-3 on the season.

When asked to describe the victory in his postgame interview QB Dak Prescott replied immediately, “We needed this” as he was nearly drowned out by MVP chants from fans in the background.

Colts’ player of the game vs. Bucs: RB Jonathan Taylor

Jonathan Taylor gets our Player of the Game honors from the win over the Bucs.

The Indianapolis Colts (6-5) fought their way to a 27-20 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (4-7) on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium on the back of a stellar game from running back Jonathan Taylor.

Even though his workload was pretty small going into halftime, he ran hard all game and wound up with 15 carries for 91 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.

This was pretty impressive considering the Bucs have been excellent against the run this season. Only D’Andre Swift recorded more rushing yards in a game against the Bucs thus far this season.

Taylor’s long run of the day went for 17 yards, which isn’t all that inspiring. But it was an unbelievably tough run, and it goes to show that the majority of his carries were between 8-10 yards.

Considering the shaky play from quarterback Gardner Minshew, which continued coming out of the bye week, Taylor was able to help lead a rushing attack that finished with 155 yards as a unit.

Now officially in the playoff picture as the No. 7 seed, the Colts will continue to lean on their stud in the backfield with six games remaining.

[lawrence-related id=91779,91821,91782]

Prescott is dealing once again, giving Cowboys hope despite loss

Prescott was dealing for the second game in a row, showing he and the coordinated offense might be hitting their stride at the right time. | From @TimLettiero

Divisional games are always a different beast and the lead-up to this midseason clash had the league on alert. Coming off three decisive victories and their bye week, the Dallas Cowboys came in riding high. Philaelphia, however, was riding higher as they sat 7-1 atop not just the NFC East but the entire league.

Despite a rough opening drive, Mike McCarthy and company righted the ship, but couldn’t quite eek out the win, dropping Dallas to 5-3. Doing everything he could to pull his team through, quarterback Dak Prescott had a sensational game despite facing a mountain of pressure all game.

Prescott finished the game with 374 passing yards on 29 completions with three scores, boasting a +6 CPOE. While not his most surgical performance, Prescott was still the backbone of a successful offensive outing.

Down 7-0, Prescott returned the favor with an emphatic drive capped off by a fourth-down conversion to WR CeeDee Lamb and a touchdown to TE Jake Ferguson

Still 7-7 early in the second, Dallas found themselves in enemy territory looking to take the lead. On 3rd-and-14, Prescott steps up and scrambles right away from pressure and finds Lamb for a crucial conversion.

Later on the same drive, Dallas faces another third down, this time on the goal line. Prescott drops back at the five-yard line and fires a bullet into the arms of WR KaVontae Turpin for the score.

Following the Turpin touchdown, the Dallas offense saw the ball only twice before the fourth quarter. This allowed Philadelphia to take a 28-17 lead before Dallas started their comeback. Marching downfield, Prescott looked to take matters into his own hands as he nearly supermanned his way into the endzone.

On the very next play, Prescott found rookie TE Luke Schoonmaker on what was initially thought to be a score before he was found to be just inches short, turning the ball over on downs.

The Cowboy’s defense managed to get some clutch stops which gave the offense another chance to keep the game close. Prescott found the second-year man WR Jalen Tolbert for his first career touchdown to make it a one-score game.

Dallas was unable to seal the deal given multiple opportunities but Prescott is still white hot going into their second meeting with the New York Giants.

Colts’ player of the game vs. Panthers: CB Kenny Moore II

Kenny Moore II was the stopper against the Panthers.

The Indianapolis Colts (4-5) worked their way toward a 27-13 victory on the road over the Carolina Panthers (1-7) on Sunday at Bank of America Stadium.

While it was a solid effort from the defense as a whole, cornerback Kenny Moore II is the easy decision as our recipient for the player of the game nod.

Moore took two interceptions back for touchdowns in this win, becoming the first player in franchise history to do so. The last time a player in the NFL did it was Week 2 of the 2021 season when Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Mike Edwards accomplished the feat against the Atlanta Falcons.

Moore’s two interceptions wound up being the difference in the game. His first came just before the end of the first half when he undercut an out route by Panthers running back Chuba Hubbard.

It gave the Colts a 20-3 lead going into halftime.

Moore then put a stop to the Panthers offense as they were trying to mount a comeback in the fourth quarter. When Bryce Young sailed a screen pass, Moore was right there for the interception.

The Panthers did their best to drag Moore down but once he got going, it was another easy touchdown return, this one going for 66 yards.

Moore ended the day with eight tackles (seven solo) while adding a few key run stops. As the Colts prepare for their trip to Germany, Moore continues to be a star leading the defense.

[lawrence-related id=91045,91105,91064]

Dak Prescott’s return to glory earns Week 8 Player of the Game

Prescott continued to take careful control of the ball, but the bye week seems to have brought the downfield element back to the offense. | From @TimLettiero

Expectations had been tempered as the Cowboys reached the unofficial midpoint of the season. Dallas has been excellent both at home and when coming off their bye recently, but they faced a fiery Los Angeles Rams team that doesn’t go down without a fight. Or so everyone thought.

Dallas struggled on their first few snaps, allowing a lot of pressure to get to quarterback Dak Prescott. Then a switch flipped and the offense clicked while the defense dominated, allowing the Cowboys to walk away victors in convincing fashion. A 43-20 victory improved Dallas to 5-2 on the season.

Prescott finished the contest with 304 yards passing and an over 80% completion percentage. His CPOE was +16.3 as he repeatedly pushed the ball downfield with precision passing. It was his signature game of the 2023 season thus far.

Colts’ player of the game vs. Saints: RB Jonathan Taylor

Here’s why Jonathan Taylor is our player of the game from Week 8.

On Sunday, the Indianapolis Colts hosted the New Orleans Saints. The matchup had many ups and downs as fans got the whole Minshew Mania experience.

It’s never dull with Minshew at the helm. The Colts lost the game 38-27 as the defense could not answer the call once the offense sputtered in the second half.

Lost in all the commotion was a really good outing for running back Jonathan Taylor. Before today’s game, Taylor had 219 all-purpose yards on limited touches. He’s still getting his legs underneath him, but he’s starting to look like his old self.

He earns this week’s Player of the Game honors after posting 12 carries that went for 95 yards. Taylor also had one reception for two yards.

 

Taylor’s best run of the day went for 42 yards as he read his blocks and picked up speed once he saw open turf. It’s been a long time since fans have seen Taylor take off like that, but hopefully, this bodes well for future games.

It was a bit surprising to see Taylor receive only two carries in the second half and just two targets throughout the entire game, but it’s still encouraging to see him producing at this level.

[lawrence-related id=90800,90797]