Vikings QB Kirk Cousins, Bills QB Josh Allen highlight Players of the Week

Saturday offered a special slate of games in the NFL, and Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins and Buffalo Bills QB Josh Allen were at the center of two stupendous contests.

Cousins and Allen shined in memorable wins for their squads, so it was unsurprising when both were lauded for their individual efforts when the Players of the Week were released on Wednesday morning.

Cousins, the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, was at the forefront of a 33-point comeback win — the largest in NFL history — when his Vikings defeated the Indianapolis Colts, 39-36, in overtime on Saturday. Cousins completed 34 of 54 passes for 460 yards, four touchdowns in Week 15. Perhaps most amazing was nearly all of Cousins’ passing yards came in the second half and OT, and all four of his TD tosses came in the second half.

Another stellar outing was had by Allen en route to receiving AFC Offensive Player of the Week. The dual-threat QB led the Bills to a 32-29 come-from-behind win over the Miami Dolphins on Saturday night. Allen threw for 304 yards and four touchdowns, completing 25 of 40 passes for a 119.2 rating that accompanied 77 yards rushing.

The Jacksonville Jaguars are suddenly one of the hottest teams in the league and Rayshawn Jenkins‘ ballhawking skills are a major reason why. Jenkins returned an interception for 52 yards in overtime leading to a game-winning pick-six in the Jags’ 40-34 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday. It was Jenkins’ second interception of the day, with those histrionics overshadowing an astonishing 18 tackles. It all added up to one of the best defensive performances of the year and AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

The 2022 NFL Draft’s No. 5 overall pick shined in prime time on Sunday night, as New York Giants linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux turned in a stellar performance to propel his team to a 20-12 win over the Washington Commanders. Thibodeaux posted 12 tackles, three tackles for loss, a sack, a forced fumble and one massive fumble return for a touchdown that kicked off his big night, which led to him being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

In a pivotal 20-17 win for the Detroit Lions over the New York Jets on Sunday, it was returner Kalif Raymond who got the Lions going. Raymond kicked off the game’s scoring with a 47-yard punt return for a touchdown that provided his squad with the game’s first points and led to him being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

The Kansas City Chiefs survived a scare Sunday in their 30-24 overtime win against the Houston Texans, and punter Tommy Townsend was a big reason why. Townsend turned in an excellent outing, punting four times for an average of 48.3 yards (42.5 net) with a long of 57. Perhaps most important was his pair of punts that pinned Houston inside the 20-yard line. For his efforts, Townsend was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.