NFL Week 15 was loaded with playoff intrigue. So it’s only fitting that Pro Football Network’s latest weekly awards go to players and coaches on the NFL’s best teams.
Read on for PFN’s NFL offensive, defense, and special teams players of the week — and much more.
NFL Offensive Player of the Week
Josh Allen | Buffalo Bills
The MVP race is basically a wrap after Josh Allen’s last three weeks.
Allen’s stats in December:
- 7 passing touchdowns
- 6 rushing touchdowns
- 852 passing yards
- 168 rushing yards
- 51 first downs
What he’s doing right now is truly superhuman.
Since the Buffalo Bills’ Week 12 bye, they’ve scored 125 points on 17 touchdowns and punted just seven times.
In Buffalo’s 48-42 victory over the Detroit Lions, Allen was responsible for four of those touchdowns and 430 total yards of offense.
Both quarterbacks in this game were great. Jared Goff threw for five touchdowns and nearly 500 yards. But Allen gets the nod because he got the win.
Run this back again in two months, please, NFL.
Honorable mentions: Jared Goff, Lamar Jackson, Davante Adams
NFL Defensive Player of the Week
Derek Stingley Jr. | Houston Texans
If Tyreek Hill was the No. 1 player of 2023, what does that make Derek Stingley Jr. in 2024?
Stingley should, at the very least, be in the conversation for best cornerback in football after completely erasing Hill in the Miami Dolphins’ most important game of the year.
Stingley had two interceptions — including the game-sealer — off Tua Tagovailoa. And both passes were intended for Hill, who had just one catch for 15 yards on four targets when Stingley was in coverage.
On the season, Stingley ranks second in passes defensed and is tied for fourth in interceptions (5). He’s allowed just 45.8% of passes thrown in his coverage area to be completed (fifth in NFL) and has a passer rating against of 46.2 (second).
Honorable mentions: Kingsley Enagbare, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons
NFL Special Teams Player of the Week
Chase McLaughlin | Tampa Bay Buccaneers
The life of the kicker is not for the faint of heart. Since entering the league 5.5 years ago, Chase McLaughlin has been cut by the:
- Buffalo Bills (2019)
- Minnesota Vikings (2019)
- Los Angeles Chargers (2019)
- San Francisco 49ers (2019)
- Indianapolis Colts (2020)
- Jacksonville Jaguars (2020)
- New York Jets (2021)
- Cleveland Browns (2022)
But he’s found a home with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and has made more money this year — $5 million — than he did total in the five that preceded it.
The Buccaneers certainly are happy with their investment. After a 14-point performance in Tampa Bay’s blowout victory over the Chargers, McLaughlin is now ninth in the NFL in field-goal percentage (92.6%) and tied for fourth in points (117).
Honorable mentions: Cam Little, Bradley Pinion, Keisean Nixon
NFL Rookie of the Week
Jayden Daniels | Washington Commanders
The Bo Nix boomlet was fun, but Jayden Daniels is and probably always was the front-runner to win NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year.
Daniels bolstered his case with another excellent game in the Washington Commanders’ Week 15 win over the New Orleans Saints: 25 of 31 passing for 226 yards, two touchdowns, and zero interceptions, plus a game-high 66 rushing yards on 11 carries.
Daniels alone was responsible for 17 of the Commanders’ 23 first downs, and he didn’t turn the ball over. Nix, meanwhile, threw three picks in Week 15.
Honorable mentions: Brian Thomas Jr., Jalen Coker, Chop Robinson
NFL Play of the Week
Nik Bonitto Double Pass Pick-Six
To get the best sense of just how impressive Nik Bonitto’s Week 15 50-yard defensive touchdown was, check out the Next Gen Stats dots.
Nik Bonitto returns an Adonai Mitchell lateral for a 50-yard TD to give the Broncos a 24-13 lead early in the fourth quarter.
Bonitto reached a top speed of 20.19 mph on the play, the fastest speed by a linebacker as a ball carrier this season.#INDvsDEN | #BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/PCRaSsynv3
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats)
Technically a fumble return — but it sure felt like a pick-six — Bonitto read Adonai Mitchell’s eyes and mind perfectly, timing his break on Mitchell’s cross-field lateral to Colts QB Anthony Richardson perfectly.
And since everyone else on the field was flat-footed while Bonitto was at max speed, the touchdown was assured before he even crossed midfield.
It was just the latest splash play for Bonitto, who is tied for third in sacks (11.5) and has a pressure rate of 15.6% on the season.
Honorable mentions: Cedrick Wilson Jr. to Alvin Kamara TD, Derek Stingley Jr.’s game-sealing interception, Josh Allen’s 57-yard dime to Keon Coleman
NFL Coach of the Week
Nick Sirianni | Philadelphia Eagles
Has there ever been a coach who’s won so much that’s taken so much heat?
Nick Sirianni has plenty of critics — just ask Jalen Carter, who briefly had a heated exchange with the Philadelphia Eagles’ polarizing coach during Sunday’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers.
But you’d be foolish to argue with Sirianni’s results.
After knocking off the AFC North leaders in a Keystone State showdown Sunday, the Eagles are one of just four teams in the league with 12+ wins. And his winning percentage since taking the Eagles’ top job in 2021 is .708 — behind only Andy Reid and Sean McDermott.
Honorable mentions: Sean McDermott, DeMeco Ryans, Todd Bowles
NFL Goat of the Week
Tua Tagovailoa | Miami Dolphins
Tua is not a big-game quarterback. That will remain the narrative going into Year 6 for Tagovailoa after yet another no-show in a make-or-break moment for the Dolphins.
After laying a Texas-sized egg Sunday against the Texans, Tagovailoa is now 10-19 in his career against teams with winning records. His stats on those games: 63.7% completion percentage, 38 touchdowns, 27 interceptions, seven yards per attempt, and a passer rating of 85.7.
Sunday was one of his worst yet. Tua’s QB+ (60) not only ranked 32nd out of 32, but it was also the lowest of his career. He had a career-worst four turnovers, including interceptions on two of Miami’s final three possessions.
Honorable mentions: Jameis Winston, Jesse Minter, Graham Glasgow
NFL Unsung Hero of the Week
Brian O’Neill | Minnesota Vikings
Minnesota Vikings captain Brian O’Neill earned the C on his chest Monday. The Pro Bowl right tackle looked to be seriously hurt in the first half of Minnesota’s Week 15 win over the Chicago Bears.
After banging the turf in pain when his leg bent awkwardly, O’Neill went to the locker room for further evaluation of his ailing knee, which is usually an ominous sign for hurt players.
But O’Neill not only returned to the game but delivered a perfect combo block that allowed Aaron Jones to score on a one-yard touchdown run late in the third quarter to put the Vikings comfortably ahead.
O’Neill’s stats on the game would have been impressive even at full strength: Zero sacks and zero quarterback hits allowed in 30 pass-blocking snaps.
Honorable mentions: Osa Odighizuwa, Noah Igbinoghene, Connor McGovern
