Another great game from Cam Newton, another 20+ point come back (the 9th this year already), and another game that leaves the rest of the league wondering who in the world is going to come out on top in the NFC East.
We’ve come to expect most, if not all of those things week in and week out this season, and week eight didn’t disappoint. Before we head into a week nine that is full of games with huge playoff implications, let’s take another look back at week eight.
Mid-Season Awards: Is Aaron Rodgers the league’s MVP?
It’s hard to believe that the 2011 season is already half way over. There have been a ton of great individual performances this year across the league. Has Aaron Rodger’s great start to the year earned him the title of MVP? Or is it another standout player in the NFC North that has earned that title?
Offensive Player of the Year
When talking about the offensive player of the year considerations, Green Bay quarterback Aaron Rodgers is likely the first name that comes to mind, and for good reason. Rodgers has started the season off on a blistering pace. His 2372 passing yards has him on pace to break Dan Marino’s 27 year old passing yards record. He’s thrown twenty touchdowns and a mere three interceptions, all while completing over 70% of his passes. His sky high quarterback rating of 125.7 reflects the nearly flawless run Rodgers has been on. He’s the only quarterback to start the first seven games of the season with passer ratings of 110 or above, and it’s been what has powered the Packers to a 7-0 start. And in only his fourth year as a starter, Rodgers figures to only improve over the next several seasons.
Rodgers isn’t the only offensive player in the NFC North that’s having a stellar season. His divisional counterparts in Detroit boast the best receiver in the league, Calvin Johnson. He’s known as “Megatron” for a reason: he makes plays that simply don’t seem humanly possible. Like Rodgers, Johnson is on a record setting pace. He has eleven touchdown catches already, which has him on track to tie Randy Moss’s single season record 23 touchdown receptions. He’s single handedly taken over games, like in Dallas where he snagged two almost impossible touchdowns to finish a Detroit comeback. He’s taken on a more physical style of play, relying less on his speed and more on his size and strength to beat defensive backs into submissions. It’s worked well for the Lions, leading to 47 catches and 804 yards already this season.
In Andy Reid’s pass heavy offenses, it’s easy to forget about the running back. For years, the Eagles used guys like Brian Westbrook to throw to out of the backfield, but were never concerned with establishing the running game. The arrival of LeSean McCoy hasn’t allowed Reid to ignore the ground game anymore, however. Following his second game of 28+ carries in a row (the first time in the Reid era that’s happened), it’s time to consider McCoy as the best offensive player in the league, too. He’s average a sizzling 5.6 yards a carry, the highest average of anyone with 100 or more carries. His 754 rushing yards are second best in the league (he has 32 fewer carries than Adrian Peterson, the leagues’ rushing leader, but only 44 fewer yards). McCoy also contributes through the air, catching 23 passes including two touchdowns. McCoy has scored at least once in every game so far for Philadelphia.
So who’s the offensive player of the year so far? Johnson has been nearly unstoppable, and McCoy has certainly been a force, but it’s hard to see how you can give the title to anyone but Rodgers. He’s been simply incredible, and there really is no player that has been able to match what he’s been able to do offensively this year.
Defensive Player of the Year
Demarcus Ware’s stellar performance was the lone bright spot for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. His outstanding game against the Eagles will be lost amidst the talk of the Cowboys’ collapse, and that’s a shame. He managed to sack the always elusive Michael Vick four times, the most sacks Ware has ever made in one game. He also recorded ten tackles and had a fumble recovery. It was a standout game in what’s been another great year for Ware. He’s on pace to get 27 sacks this year, and he’s only had one game without a sack. He’s posted four games with two sacks or more, giving offensive coordinators head aches week in and week out. His skills rushing the passer have been certainly earned him defensive player of the year consideration.
In spite of Ware’s huge sack numbers, he’s not the guy leading the league in sacks. That honor belongs to Minnesota defensive end Jared Allen. Allen has 12.5 sacks to Ware’s 12. Allen has been a picture of consistency during an inconsistent season for the Vikings. He’s recorded at least half a sack in every game, and has had five games with four or more tackles. Allen is on pace to record 26 sacks on the season. Both Allen and Ware are on pace to break Michael Strahan’s single season sack record (22.5). Will that be enough to earn one of them defensive player of the year honors?
The New York Jets defense has taken a step backwards as a unit in 2011, but their best player isn’t responsible for the slide at all. Cornerback Darrelle Revis has done nothing but dominate opposing wide receivers all season long. According to Pro Football Focus, Revis has allowed ten receptions on 33 targets this season. He has yet to allow a touchdown catch, and only two of those catches have got for twenty yards or more. Those types of numbers would be impressive for any defensive back in the league. When you consider the fact that he’s almost always matched up with players like Wes Welker, Miles Austin, and Vincent Jackson, it puts Revis’s season up there as an all time great season for any defensive player.
So which guy gets the nod? Because of the passing era the NFL finds itself in, I think that Revis has to be the winner. Both Ware and Allen are having great years, but they’ve had more opportunities to get sacks because offenses are passing more. Revis on the other hand has been put at a disadvantage. More passes mean more chances for a corner to get burned, but Revis has thrived. That not only makes his season worthy of defensive player of the year, but puts it up there as one of the best seasons for a defensive player ever.
Mid Season MVP
So who is the most valuable player of the first eight weeks of the season? Typically the winner of the MVP award is the best player on the best team. If we go by that logic, then Aaron Rodgers is clearly the winner. The Packers are without a doubt the best team in the league, and Rodgers is without question their leader.
But does that make him the most valuable player? He’s surrounded by one of the best receiving groups in the league. From top to bottom, guys like Greg Jennings to Jermichael Finley to Jordy Nelson give Rodgers a ton of reliable options to throw to on nearly every play. That that certainly isn’t to take away from Rodgers’ season. What he has done has been incredible. But if Rodgers’ was to be knocked out for the rest of the season, I don’t think the Packers’ season would be lost.
The Detroit Lions, however, are a whole different story. Without Calvin Johnson in the lineup, the Lions would be in big trouble. He is constantly the focus of opposing defenses, allowing players like Brandon Pettigrew to get open. Without Johnson, the defenses would have no problems covering the rest of the Detroit offense. The reality of the situation is that without Johnson, the Lions’ aren’t a playoff team, and with him they are. In my mind, that makes him the most valuable player in the league.
Surprise of the Week 
For Baltimore’s Anquan Boldin it was a shot at redemption, a chance to get revenge on his former team for under estimating his worth. For the Ravens, it was a chance to bounce back from a horrendous loss in Jacksonville on the previous Monday. But through two quarters on Sunday, it looked like Baltimore would choke those opportunities away.
During the first half in Baltimore, the Arizona Cardinals dominated. The Ravens’ offense was stagnant, and their defense struggled to keep them in the game. Kevin Kolb was finally looking like he may have been worth the high price Arizona spent on trading for him. By the time the Cardinals led 24-3, it appeared as though a Cardinals upset of the Ravens would be the surprise of the week.
As it turned out though, it was the long awaited awakening of the Baltimore offense that was the surprising performance of the week. Boldin looked like a player we hadn’t seen for a long time. In the second half he took ownership of the game, demanding the ball from Joe Flacco and simply refusing to allow the Ravens to give up. In the second half, Flacco looked better than he has all year, throwing for 234 yards over the final two quarters. The passing attack was potent out of the shotgun, where Flacco could see the field and make a quick call in the hurry up offense. Ray Rice was as solid as always, scoring on three runs.
By the time the Ravens’ rally had ended, Boldin had caught seven passes for 154 yards, and Baltimore’s had completed another 20+ point comeback (the NFL’s ninth this season, a league record). Their offense is going to have to continue to improve if they want to challenge for the AFC North title, and they’ll face a huge test next Sunday night as they face off against the Pittsburg Steelers.
Rookie Watch
It took an injury to Buffalo Bills’ nose tackle Kyle Williams for rookie Marcell Darius to move from defensive end to nose tackle. It may be hard to convince Buffalo’s coaches to move him back.
Dareus has had an up and down rookie year with the Bills. He’s shown flashes of being worthy of his high draft status, but has at times looked pretty uncomfortable lined up at end. Moving back to his natural position did wonders for Dareus’s confidence, and he dominated the game from the inside at tackle. He ended the game with four tackles, two for a loss, two and a half sacks and three more hits on the quarterback.
It wasn’t just Dareus that benefitted from the move. With Dareus occupying the Washington Redskins’ interior offensive line, the entire Bills’ defense was able to wreak havoc rushing the passer. Buffalo sacked Washington quarterback John Beck a whopping nine times, forced two interceptions, and held the Redskins to only 178 total yards and zero points. It was a big impact for the young defensive lineman, and Bills will continue to be a force if he can keep that type of performance up.
Fantasy Notes 
As many fantasy players find themselves in bye week binds, they often make rash waiver wire decisions in an attempt to make up for bad foresight in predicting what players they’d need earlier in the year. One move I keep seeing recommended for week nine is picking up Carson Palmer if you’re in need of a quarterback. I can’t disagree strongly enough with that sentiment.
Palmer showed absolutely no reason for fantasy football players to be optimistic about his prospects, both as a winning quarterback for the Raiders or as good fill in fantasy quarterback. If you’re in need of a bye week quarterback, look to Matt Cassel, who has a nice matchup with the Miami Dolphins on the horizon.
Running backs can be hard to come by on the waiver wire at this point of the season. One guy you may want to grab is Tennessee Titans’ Javon Ringer. Technically he is the second string running back, but he’s out performed Chris Johnson in every game this season. Ringer had his best game of the year on Sunday, and if that keeps up Ringer will soon pass Johnson on the depth chart.
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