Tag: player of the game

Colts’ player of the game vs. Ravens: K Matt Gay

No surprise who our player of the game is for the Colts.

The Indianapolis Colts (2-1) fought their way to a 22-19 upset victory over the Baltimore Ravens (2-1) on Sunday at M&T Bank Stadium.

They did so on the back of a historic performance from kicker Matt Gay, who converted all five of his field-goal attempts, four of which came from over 50 yards.

He’s the first player in NFL history to convert four field-goal attempts over 50 yards. He converted a 54-yarder and three 53-yarders, including the game-winner in overtime.

This is the exact reason why the Colts made Gay such a priority during free agency. They gave him the largest free-agent deal in NFL history at the position, and it only took him three weeks to make history on the field.

The entire team fought their way to this win, and it’s clear the players want to fight for head coach Shane Steichen. But they wouldn’t have gotten this win without the performance from their kicker.

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A rare bright spot in Week 3, Alontae Taylor is the Saints player of the game

A rare bright spot in Week 3’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, Alontae Taylor is the New Orleans Saints player of the game | @DillySanders

Alontae Taylor had his best day as a member of the New Orleans Saints on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers in their Week 3 matchup, though he was ultimately just a rare bright spot in the tough road loss.

Taylor has been solid since debut last season after being drafted in the second round of the 2022 NFL draft by the New Orleans Saints. After flashes here and there, he put together a complete performance to earn Player of the Game recognition.

Against the Packers on Sunday, Taylor had an absurd five passes defensed to go along with a sack and five tackles (two tackles for loss of yards). With Paulson Adebo out, Taylor was switching between the slot and covering outside when the Saints shifted from their nickel and base defenses. Jordan Love and the Packers kept trying to test him and he was not letting them have even an inch of room.

Those five pass breakups were the most in a game by a Saints defensive back since Marshon Lattimore had six against Washington’s Terry McLaurin back in 2021. It’s a shame his efforts weren’t rewarded with a win, but Taylor’s arrow is trending up.

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CeeDee Lamb’s standout performance vs Jets sets expectations

CeeDee Lamb provided a necessary spark for the Cowboys offense against one of the league’s best defenses, earning him player of the game. | From @TimLettiero

On March 6th, 1997, The Notorious B.I.G. was crowned king of the New York rap game. On September 17th, 2023, the Dallas Cowboys steamrolled the New York Jets to crown themselves the kings of New York. After dismantling the New York Giants in emphatic fashion, Dallas looked to do more of the same back at home against the Jets and they delivered.

Without Aaron Rodgers, the Jets attempted to lean on the run game, but Dallas shut that down almost instantly, leaving the ball in Zach Wilson’s hands. That went about as well as it could have for the Dallas defense but the Dallas offense was the leading factor in today’s game. HC Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott did their jobs today keeping the ball moving and staying efficient, but a certain pass catcher took the game by the scruff of the neck.

With Brandin Cooks sidelined with a knee injury, CeeDee Lamb stepped up and had himself a day. Lining up both inside and outside, he was able to torch a Jets secondary that had picked off Bills QB Josh Allen three times in Week 1.

Mere minutes into the game he and quarterback Dak Prescott connected on a beautiful pitch and catch down the left sideline.

With just under a minute left in the first quarter and the offense pushed up against their own goalline, McCarthy and Prescott called ole reliable and sent Lamb on a slant. A perfect ball between defenders and a missed tackle led to a lot of open field for Lamb as he took the rock 30 yards downfield.

He’ll definitely be thanking Center Tyler Biasdasz after tonight for backing him up on his fumble.

He’d continue to haul in catch after catch and consistently move the chains for the Dallas offense. He’d top off a fantastic first half with this catch, putting him over 100 yards on seven receptions.

Lamb would finish the day with 11 catches on 13 targets for 143 yards, 66 of them being after the catch. It’s safe to say WR1 and QB1 are on the same page and firing on all cylinders.

Bills Wire Week 2 Player of the Game: Josh Allen

Bills Wire Week 2 Player of the Game: Josh Allen (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ second game of the 2023 NFL season saw the Bills get in the win column at home against the Las Vegas Raiders. Buffalo won 38-10 in a game that they were comfortably ahead for a majority of it, scoring 17 unanswered points in the second half.

With the Bills getting back to winning ways, many players were excellent and any one of them would deservedly be this week’s winner. We are awarding the Player of the Game Award in Week 2 to quarterback Josh Allen, who was 31-for-37 passing with 274 yards and three touchdowns:

The Bills quarterback was instrumental in the team’s offensive success putting together three sustained drives culminating in touchdowns before halftime and not turning over the ball against the Raiders. This performance comes after a tough outing last week, and many praised Allen’s performances during and after the game.

Buffalo will travel to the nation’s capital next week on Sunday, September 24 at 1 p.m. to face the Washington Commanders.

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Ducks Wire Player of the Game: Tez Johnson shines in win over Hawaii

Whether it was returning punts or catching long bombs, Tez Johnson showed why Oregon got him in the transfer portal.

The first time Tez Johnson touched the ball against Hawaii, it was on a 15-yard punt return that was very close to being a touchdown.

That set the tone for the Ducks and Johnson as Oregon crushed the Rainbow Warriors, 55-10. After that return, Johnson scored two plays later on a 49-yard reception from brother Bo Nix, and the Ducks were off and running.

Johnson, a transfer from Troy, had his best game so far as an Oregon Duck. He finished with four catches for 77 yards and two touchdowns.

His second score came early in the third quarter on a 12-yard touchdown over the middle where his speed was just too much for Hawaii to handle. Johnson’s speed is going to be too much for most teams to handle. He showed why the Ducks wanted him as soon as he hit the transfer portal.

Besides his receiving yards, Johnson had 48 punt return yards to give him 125 total yards.

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Bills Wire Week 1 Player of the Game: Matt Milano

Bills Wire Week 1 Player of the Game: Matt Milano (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ first game of the 2023 NFL season ended in heartbreak as the New York Jets won in overtime on a punt return for a touchdown.

The Jets won 22-16 in a game that stayed close because of turnovers despite an injury to new Jets QB Aaron Rodgers.

Despite the loss, a few Bills players had very good games and worked hard to keep the lead. We are awarding the Player of the Week Award in Week 1 to linebacker Matt Milano, who had eight tackles, including a tackle for a loss on New York Jets running back Dalvin Cook, one pass deflection, one QB hit, and an interception on the Jets backup quarterback Zach Wilson:

The 2022 All-Pro was a force to be reckoned with all game, with multiple great tackles throughout all four quarters and securing the interception after a Bills touchdown. Milano’s pick would lead to a Tyler Bass field goal before the end of the first half. After the interception, the linebacker taunted Zach Wilson which backed up the Bills following the penalty.

You can see Matt Milano’s perfect read of Zach Wilson’s throw here:

 

Despite Milano’s best efforts to keep the Jets score to 3 points, New York ultimately would score in the 4th quarter before the game-ending punt return in overtime.

Buffalo will host their season home opener on Sunday, September 17th at 1 PM to face the Oakland Raiders.

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Micah Parsons started his DPOY campaign in fine fashion

The 3rd-year All-Pro started his season white hot as he campaigns for his first DPOY award. | From @TimLettiero

The forecast called for rain but it was the Dallas Cowboys, not Mother Nature, who actually made it pour in East Rutherford on Sunday night. Everything went about as well as it could’ve for Dallas and, as has been the case since Dan Quinn took over as defensive coordinator, it all starts with the defense. Shutting out any NFL team is an impressive feat, let alone one that was in the playoffs just eight months ago. The key to success for Dallas under Quinn has always been getting to the QB and Sunday was no different in their 40-0 victory.

Generating pressure on 23 of Daniel Jones’ 37 dropbacks, the Cowboys’ front seven dominated from start to finish. None other than superstar Micah Parsons, who might just be the best player on either side of Patrick Mahomes, led the way.

After a blocked field goal return gave Dallas an early 6-0 lead, the defense returned to the field and chaos ensued.

On 3rd-and-10 on the Giants’ 25, Parsons burst through a double team and tallied his first sack of the night.

With only one sack and three total tackles, it may seem as if Parsons didn’t have much impact on the game. Think again.

Parsons is one of the league’s most feared players, and it’s seen on every snap. Early on he made one of the best LTs in the league, Andrew Thomas, false start because of the pure fear tackles have of Parsons beating them outside.

He doesn’t just affect the gameplan of the man in front of him, he forces the entire line to change what they want to do. This in turn sets up his teammates for easy opportunities to make plays in the backfield.

To say Parsons is one of the best players in the league somehow seems to discredit his abilities and impact on the game. He looks hungrier than ever and will face a Jets team next week with one of the league’s weaker OLs. That will be one to tune in as Parsons continues to chase his elusive DPOY award.

Colts’ player of the game vs. Jaguars: LB Zaire Franklin

Zaire Franklin was all over the field in the opener.

The Indianapolis Colts (0-1) couldn’t pull off the upset Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0), but there were plenty of encouraging performances.

One that may stand above all others came from linebacker Zaire Franklin, who led the way with 18 tackles (10 solo), one pass defended and a forced fumble that resulted in a touchdown.

Franklin was all over the field throughout the game, showing off some solid coverage skills and making a major impact against the run. After a career year, it seems Franklin is picking up right where he left off.

The Colts defense will continue to ride the front seven as the strength of the unit, and Franklin remains a major constant impact player.

Ducks Wire Player of the Game: Jeffery Bassa leads Oregon defense

Jeffrey Bassa had a team-high 9 tackles and the game-sealing pick-six vs. Texas Tech. He is our player of the game.

That was not an easy game, but the Ducks managed to grab a win. There were plenty of mistakes, and it’s definitely not the way the team will want to look going forward. But, a win is a win, and this was a big one.

No one played perfectly for the Ducks, but the standout player in my eyes today was Jeffery Bassa. He led the team in tackles with 9 of them — 8 of them were solo tackles and 1 of them was a TFL. And while those things are important, Bassa’s biggest contribution was obviously his late-game pick-six to stop Texas Tech’s final effort and clinch the game for the Ducks.

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The pick came after Tyler Shough was hit by Brandon Dorlus as he was throwing. Bassa was probably five feet from Shough, but despite the close range, he caught the ball surely, and from the jump, nobody had a chance to catch him.

As Oregon moves into Week 3 against Hawaii, tackling will surely be a focus for the defense unit. There were too many instances tonight where Red Raider ball carriers were able to slip the first tackler. It resulted in the extension of several drives, and almost cost the Ducks the game, so having a sure-handed tackler like Bassa, was all the more important for Oregon tonight.

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Bills Wire Preseason Week 3 Player of the Game: Siran Neal

#Bills Wire Preseason Week 3 Player of the Game: Siran Neal (via @TejasVemparala):

The Buffalo Bills’ last preseason game was on the road against the Chicago Bears. The Bears won 24-21 in a close game and a few Bills players had a very good game.

We are awarding our third issue of the Player of the Week Award in 2023 to cornerback Siran Neal, who had two tackles, two pass deflections, and helped teammate Ja’Marcus Ingram secure Buffalo’s only interception of the game.

The Bills special team veteran was drafted by Buffalo in 2018 in the 5th round and is listed fourth on the depth chart at CB. Usually, Neal appears on special teams but Bills fans will remember his catch against the Patriots on a fake punt in December 2020.

Today, Neal was tasked with multiple snaps against the Bears first string wide receiver Darnell Mooney on the right side of the field. He prevented Bears QB Justin Fields on finding Mooney in the end zone at the end of the first quarter. He deflected another pass intended for Mooney in the end-zone from backup Chicago QB Tyson Bagent, limiting the Bears to a field goal attempt when down 7-0.

Neal would continue to frustrate Bagent and the Chicago offense when he crucially disrupted the timing of Bears wide receiver Daurice Fountain in Chicago’s sole interception of the game. When the Bills fumbled the ball after conceding a rushing touchdown to Bagent and were down 14-10 with the Bears looking to take the lead, Neal physically disrupted Fountain’s crossing route, which provided Ingram the opportunity to jump the route and intercept Bagent. This helped the Bills go into the locker room with a 7 point lead.

Neal’s physicality and man-marking skills in coverage was clearly evident and we hope he will get more snaps for the defense in the regular season and continue to make an impact in special teams.

Buffalo will be on the road at MetLife Stadium for their first regular season game against the New York Jets.

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