Week 8 NFL Players of the Week: ...Jets Players??

 I said it the other day and will say it again, week 8 of the NFL season was probably the wildest week we've seen yet. Backup QBs, injuries, and upsets were at the forefront. We get into the players of the week and there are many names no one would have predicted going into the year, or even into this WEEK. Crazy stuff.

OFFENSIVE Player of the Week: Mike White, Quarterback, New York Jets

Statline: 405 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs passing

This is the last player that probably anyone, even White himself, could have predicted to take home the highest honor for an offensive player of the week. Thrust into the starting role for the first time in his young career (due to Zach Wilson's injury last week), Mike White was amazing. The Jets faced a tough test in the Bengals who were the AFC's no. 1 team coming into the game with the 1-win Jets. White started the game out hot with 11 straight completions. His 12th pass wasn't so lucky as a wide open WR dropped the ball and it tipped into a Bengal defenders' hands for a pick. After that, there wasn't many mistakes. In a shocking shootout between these teams, Mike White was the difference. His poise and accuracy down the stretch of the game is what propelled the Jets to victory. His 400+ yards marked just one of the few times all season we've seen any QB eclipse that number. White also broke the record for most completions for an NFL QB in their first career start with a whopping 37. The Jets didn't hold White back at all and just like RB TY Johnson said before the game, White is a savage and a gunslinger. He proved it out on the field on Sunday to become the most unlikely offensive player of the week thus far in the
season!
// Last Week's Winner: Ja'Marr Chase (WR, Bengals)

DEFENSIVE Player of the Week: Rasul Douglas, Cornerback, Green Bay Packers

Statline: 9 total tackles, 2 pass deflections, game winning INT

Just like Mike White, Rasul Douglas is probably one of the most improbable and unexpected winners of a major weekly award we will ever see. The 2017 third-round pick has been a journeyman so far in his NFL career. Just this season, he's been with more than 2 teams but he has now likely found a home for a good while. Signed off Arizona's practice squad just two weeks ago by the Packers, Douglas has made a major instant impact. Dealing with major injuries at CB, Douglas has stepped right in and filled the void at an elite level. In a crucial game for NFC playoff positioning, the shorthanded Packers were on the verge of losing to the Cardinals before the amazing play by Rasual Douglas. Inside goal-line territory with under a minute to go and down less than a TD, the Cardinals threw for the win in the back of the end-zone and Douglas read the strange play perfectly and was right there to pick it off and seal the win. That could be the difference between a first-round bye and not. The former practice squad regular Rasul Douglas was the one to make this happen for the Packers. Along with the amazing INT, Douglas also had 2 pass deflections and 9 total tackles. Just an overall amazing game from him. What an unbelievable story that he is and after his amazing performance, Douglas is the defensive player of the week for us! P.S. that makes both our offensive and defensive players of the week the first duo ever on our site to both win these awards after being practice squad players within the same season! Crazy stuff.
// Last Week's Winner: Demario Davis (LB, Saints)

SPECIAL TEAMS Player of the Week: Randy Bullock, Kicker, Tennessee Titans

Statline: 4 PATs, 2/2 on FG attempts (including game winning 45-yarder)

Each week it feels harder and harder to pinpoint a standout special teamer. There are a lot of great ST players in the league, but none have been standing out as much lately. Aside from this fact, Randy Bullock deserves the honor this week. He turned in a spotless kicking day for Tennessee to win a major game. Since being signed to play Kicker for Tennessee after week 1, Bullock has been nothing but consistent. He hit a game-winner in OT at Seattle in week 2 which was a massive win for the team and has continued to be very consistent since. In a shootout that resulted in an overtime, Bullock was called on once again for the Titans to deliver, and he did. Just barely, he snuck in a 45-yard FG for the win as it was hooking right. The Titans are off to 6-2 and have Bullock to credit for a good bit of it. Randy Bullock takes home his first ST player of the week this season.
// Last Week's Winner: Rigoberto Sanchez (P, Colts)

ROOKIE of the Week: Michael Carter, Running Back, New York Jets

Statline: 15 carries, 77 yards, 1 TD rushing | 9 receptions, 95 yards receiving

Two Jets have made it into the players of the week for week 8. That is correct. You are reading it right. Mike White wasn't the only outstanding young offensive player on Sunday for the Jets. Michael Carter was a massive reason why White succeeded and probably the main skill position player to get the Jets the big win. As a pure runner, Carter had a pretty good game as it is with 77 yards and a TD. That wasn't it though. The explosive rookie from UNC also totaled a staggering 9 catches that resulted in another 95 yards of offense. In total, Carter went for over 170 total yards on offense and a TD. You don't see a near 200 yard performance by anyone very often, let alone a rookie on a struggling team. Michael Carter has been improving greatly by the week for the Jets as we all expected (he was a steal in the 4th round for them) and now looks like he may finally be winning over that full-time starting job at RB for New York. We think this is the beginning of things to come for the talented rookie who takes home his first rookie of the week!
// Last Week's Winner: Ja'Marr Chase (WR, Bengals)

TEAM of the Week: Green Bay Packers (7-1)

Beat Cardinals (7-1) with a final score of 24-21

The dream ends here Jets fans, sorry, but you aren't team of the week too. That honor goes to the Green Bay Packers. After being blown out in week 1 by the Saints, the Packers have probably been the best team in football. They ripped off 6 straight wins and went into a TNF game with the undefeated Cardinals looking to take over as the NFC's no. 1 seed. They did. Despite being without top 2 WRs Davante Adams and Allen Lazard, Aaron Rodgers had no problem working with what he had (as he's done for years now). Behind Rodgers and a stout Packer D, Green Bay was able to pull off what some might say is the win of the season, as they knocked off the final unbeaten. The Cardinals were in a great position to win but Rasul Douglas sealed the game with a goal-line pick like we talked about early. The Packers are clicking and getting hot at the right time. In potentially Aaron Rodgers' final season with the team, is this the year they finally get over the hump? We don't know yet obviously, but it's looking promising for the Packers who are the team of the week in week 8!
// Last Week's Winner: Cincinnati Bengals

Honorable Mentions:
-Colts WR Michael Pittman Jr.
-Seahawks WR Tyler Lockett
-Saints CB PJ Williams
-Titans S Kevin Byard
-Bears QB Justin Fields
-49ers RB Elijah Mitchell
-Seahawks KR Travis Homer