The Jets-Giants game was one of the best of the weekend, and there was no doubt that Brandon Marshall was the game's best player.
At 31, he put on a show, catching passes that set the Jets up for a crucial field goal and game-tying touchdown which sent the contest into overtime. Marshall finished with 12 catches on 13 targets for 131 yards and a score. He is, without question, Ryan Fitzpatrick's right-hand man and has helped elevate the Jets into potential playoff contention. Where would this offense be without him? When new general manager Mike Maccagnan dealt a fifth-round pick for Marshall during the offseason, it looked like a holdover move while the team worked to develop some of their younger talent. Instead, Marshall has elevated Eric Decker's game and lofted the duo among the NFL's best tandems this season.
His AFC offensive Player of the Week award was a no-brainer.
Here's the rest of this week's winners:
AFC:
Chiefs safety Tyvon Branch: Playing against his former team, Branch made a diving interception that he returned for a touchdown, part of a strong Chiefs win that puts them firmly in the playoff picture with four games to go.
Steelers WR/PR Antonio Brown: Brown took a punt return to the house against the Colts this weekend in addition to two receiving touchdowns and 118 receiving yards. Is there a more dangerous player in football right now?
NFC:
Panthers QB Cam Newton: Newton has elevated his game well above and beyond anything we've seen before. Confidence and comfort can take a player to amazing places, and in a shootout win over the New Orleans Saints on Sunday, Newton was every bit a superstar. Newton threw for 331 yards, five touchdowns and just one interception in a 41-38 victory, keeping the Panthers perfect for yet another weekend. His case for the MVP award has never been stronger.
Eagles S Malcolm Jenkins: In a true statement win over the Patriots, Jenkins was the difference-maker. Aside from six tackles, Jenkins took a pick-six on Tom Brady 99 yards for the score. It was a 14-point swing that ultimately lifted the Eagles to their biggest win of the season, and arguably one of the biggest in the Chip Kelly era.
Cowboys K Dan Bailey: In an old fashioned soccer win over the Redskins on Monday Night football, Bailey nailed all four of his field goals and his lone extra point, accounting for 13 of the team's 19 total points.
