NFL Week 1 Awards

The first week of the NFL season is over, and what a wild one it was. The New England Patriots lost at home to the Kansas City Chiefs, the Jacksonville Jaguars have a winning record for the first time since 2012, and Cincinnati’s Andy Dalton had one of the worst performances in NFL history.

With week 2 starting on Thursday with the Houston Texans facing the Cincinnati Bengals, don’t forget to check out the online odds for all football games this week.

After impressive performances that led their teams to wins, quarterbacks Alex Smith and Sam Bradford were named the AFC and NFC Offensive Players of the Week respectively.

Smith led the Chiefs to an impressive victory over the Patriots with one of the best performances of his career. The quarterback, who has been labeled a game manager for his entire career, showed he is capable of doing more than managing games if given a chance.

The former number 1 overall pick finished the game against New England completing 28 of 35 passes for 368 yards, 4 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. Smith, who has also been ridiculed for his lack of arm strength, had two scoring plays that went for over 75 yards each.

Bradford, who was signed by the Vikings as a place holder until quarterback Teddy Bridgewater returned from his season ending injury last season, made a case for why he should be the team’s full time starter even when Bridgewater returns.

Bradford carved up the New Orleans Saints defense on Monday Night, finishing the game completing 27 of 32 passes for 346 yards and 3 touchdowns, spoiling Adrian Peterson’s return to Minnesota after being released by the Vikings during the offseason.

After years of constant criticism for not living up to the number 1 overall billing, it seems only right that Bradford and Smith were the best players in week 1. If both men can continue playing at this level all year, don’t be surprised to see the Chiefs and Vikings in the Super Bowl.

The AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors went to Jacksonville’s defensive end Calais Campbell, who signed a $60 million deal during the offseason. Campbell dominated Houston’s offensive line and finished with four sacks on Sunday.

The NFC Defensive Player of the Week award was given to Los Angeles Rams cornerback Trumaine Johnson, who was all over the place in their game against the Indianapolis Colts. Johnson returned an interception 39 yards for a touchdowns and forced a fumble also, leading the Rams to a 46-9 beat down of the Colts, who were without Andrew Luck.

Recently acquired Oakland Raiders kicker Giorgio Tavecchio, won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in his first NFL game. The rookie kicker finished 4-4, which included a 52 yarder and a game-winning 43 yarder.

In the NFC, Detroit Lions kicker Matt Prater was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week after acting as both the kicker and punter against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday. Prater punted four times, averaging 35 yards per punt, he also converted 2 of 2 extra points, and booted a 58 yard field goal during the game.

These are the week 1 award winners, check back next week to find out who the top players in week 2 were.