Week 4 NFL Awards

The Bobby Hill Award for the week’s most impressive performance

For the first time since Stephon Diggs joined in 2020, the Bills proved they can beat good teams in more ways than one. The ground game was efficient. Play-action was unstoppable. Josh Allen was flawless, finishing the game with five total touchdowns and a perfect passer rating of 158. The Achilles heel of the Bills in the playoffs has always been how one-dimensional they are. But if they have finally figured out a ground game, they instantly become one of the AFC’s top two contenders.

To make things even scarier, their defence came to life after the first quarter. They gave up nine first downs on the Dolphin's first two drives. Then held Miami to 10 first downs the rest of the game. Bills middle linebacker Terrel Bernard talked about “weathering the storm”. He said, “Most offences come in with a script and have some scheme stuff that will give you some problems. We did a good job of staying together and sticking to the plan”. That plan consisted of taking away Tyreek Hill as Tua’s (the Dolphins QB) first read, and for the first time this season, he looked rattled. He'd been sacked once through the first three games. He was sacked four times against the Bills. He struggled to progress through his reads and became antsy in the pocket when no one was immediately open. If the Bill's defence can consistently make an offence as good as Miami’s struggle, you might as well pencil them into the Super Bowl right now.

It’s only week 4. Overreactions do happen. The Dolphins putting up 70 points last week might be an excellent example. But if everyone stays healthy, it's hard to imagine them failing to make a deep playoff run.

The Clark W. Griswold Award for the most surprising development of the week

This could have been Zach Wilson’s last start as the Jets quarterback. Aaron Rodgers went down in week 1, and Wilson hasn't been great since taking over. New York Jets legend Joe Namath turned on Wilson, calling his performance in week 3 “awful”. It was unclear if he still had the support of the locker room. The walls were starting to cave in. It seemed destined that Wilson would lose all confidence and be humiliated in front of Taylor Swift and the millions tuning in for Sunday Night Football.

He finished the night with a box score of 28/39, 245 yards, 2TD, 0INT and a passer rating of 105.2. He completed 23 passes for the first time ever and had his first multi-touchdown, interception-free game. Did the Jets ultimately come up short? Yes. Did he fumble a snap as the Jets were driving and looking to match the Chief’s go-ahead score? Yes. But before the fumble, he had been mistake-free. He threw the ball away when he needed to. Extended plays with his legs. He made some really tough throws. And best of all, Wilson took accountability. After the game, when asked about the fumble, he said, “That’s on me. Critical situation, I cannot have a play like that… I cannot do that. I lost us that game”. He could have blamed the refs, his receivers, and his coaches. But instead, Wilson did what every QB must do to win over his locker room. Take the blame. He wasn’t faking it either. He showed maturity and growth both on and off the field.

If someone came from the future, showed me those two paragraphs, and asked me to describe how surprised I would be to see this come true. I would have broken into uncontrollable laughter for a minute, gotten myself together and said, “Surprised? If I woke up with my head sewn to the carpet, I wouldn’t be more surprised than I am right now.” Congrats to Zach Wilson on winning this week’s award. Hopefully, it wasn’t a fluke.

The Ron Burgundy Award for the player who has nothing left

Mac Jones was the worst quarterback I watched this week. After a promising rookie season where he put up 3,801 yards, 22 touchdowns and a passer rating of 92.5, it’s sad to see Jones play like he did against the Cowboys. The “Patriot Way” used to be widely celebrated. Teams across the globe aimed to recreate the culture Bill Belichick and Tom Brady had crafted in New England. Now, it’s a relic of the past, a memory Patriots fans long to return to. The culture they established is long gone. The team has become sloppy. The players have no chemistry. It’s hard to tell if Belichick even cares anymore. And it’s all rubbing off on poor Mac Jones, who finished the 38-3 loss to the Cowboys going 12/21 for 150 yards, 2INT’s and a horrific passer rating of 39.9. before being unceremoniously benched.

Before Monday’s game, Belichick had never led a Patriots team to a loss by more than 35 points. He had never even trailed by 25 points at half-time. The Patriots are no longer the dynasty of old. Belichick is well past it. The Patriots have no impactful skill position players. The offensive line

is below average. The offensive game planning and play-calling have been pathetic. And most of all, the ineptitude of everyone involved has left Mac Jones with “nothing left! Nothing!”

The Clubber Lang Award for the team that still has a lot to prove

In Rocky 3, Clubber Lang preys upon the insecurity of his new foe. Rocky still isn’t sure he is good enough to be champion. He needs yes men around him to confirm that he is worthy of the belt. So when Mickie, the ultimate yes man, dies, Rocky becomes unsure if he is good enough to beat Lang. The Chargers are in a similar spot. Every NFL team watched them choke on a potential trip to the Super Bowl. And no matter how much they try to hide it, the Chargers are scarred by that loss. Every decision Staley makes in close games becomes scrutinised just that little bit more. If Herbert misses a throw-in crunch time, the media spends a tiny bit more time wondering if he is built for the big moments. That takes a toll on a team, no matter how much they try to deny it.

Even though the Chargers won on Monday, defeating the Raiders 24-17, I was anything but convinced they are a real contender. That game should have been over by the third quarter. Let’s go through every reason why the Chargers should have won by 25+.

1. They were facing a rookie QB on debut.

2. They had a 24-7 lead at halftime.

3. Khalil Mack had a career-high six sacks and two forced fumbles. One of which was recovered.

4. The Chargers converted on 3 of their 4 RedZone trips.

5. They only conceded two sacks.

6. The Raiders went 1-11(!) on 3rd down.

So, Can someone please explain how the Raiders were 3 yards and an extra point away from tying the game in the 4th quarter? I can't trust the Chargers. They constantly make bad decisions, put Herbert in bad situations and throw away leads against bad teams. Apollo Creed isn’t coming to save Brandon Staley. Just 31 Clubber Lang’s shouting from the sideline, “You call yourself a fighter? Prove it now!”.

The Dan Marino Award for the week's best rookie performance

Puka Nacua has 39 catches and 501 receiving yards through four games. That’s the most for someone through that same period in NFL history. He capped off this remarkable feat by catching his first touchdown. It was a walk of game-winner in OT. His target share of 32% is the second most in the NFL. To be doing what he’s doing as a fifth-round pick is extraordinary. Plus, he’s an excellent teammate. Fellow Rams wide receiver Van Jefferson said, “He’s so detailed about everything, you just knew coming into OTA’s and training camp, how he’s going to be really good. He went in the fifth round? I’m like, ‘Shoot he should have been a first-round pick. He’s a great kid. I’m so happy for him”. Things become even more interesting if star wide-out Cooper Kupp makes it back in time for week five. Can Nacua and Kupp co-exist? Not sure. Can’t wait to find out.