Von Miller abused Joe Reitz on Sunday, and it was enough to help him earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.
The Broncos outside linebacker took matters into his own hands with his team clinging to a six-point lead following a nice comeback engineered by Colts quarterback Andrew Luck. Luck was hoping to lead his 11th fourth-quarter comeback, but Miller brought that crashing down around him.
Miller rushed the outside and easily beat Indy lineman Reitz off the right side and knocked the ball loose from Luck's hand just moments later. Fellow linebacker Shane Ray scooped it up and took it 15 yards for the score and the eventual dagger.
With a hamstrung offense led by game manager Trevor Siemian and a DeMarcus Ware-less defensive front, Miller is going to need to keep things up if the Broncos are going to continue their strong start. Denver currently sits at 2-0 with the other three AFC West teams 1-1. If Denver is going to successfully defend its title, Miller is going to need to continue to play at a high level. In Sunday's 34-20 win, he had three sacks to go with the forced fumble, as well as a pass defensed.
Earning NFC Defensive Player of the Week, Arizona Cardinals cornerback Marcus Cooper picked off Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston twice -- one of which he took 60 yards for the touchdown. The amazing thing is that the Cardinals picked up Cooper from the Chiefs for a conditional seventh-round pick. Cardinals general manager Steve Keim continues to look like a genius at roster assembly.
Offensive Players of the Week
Ryan Fitzpatrick got the Jets untracked on Thursday night as the quarterback made the Buffalo Bills' defense look silly in a 37-31 victory. Though Jets running back Matt Forte also contributed greatly to the win, Fitzpatrick made some very big throws to help erase the bad taste of being knocked out of playoff contention in Week 17 last year by Rex Ryan's Bills team.
No Teddy Bridgewater? An ineffective Adrian Peterson? A starting quarterback that had just joined the team a week prior? No problem, Vikings wideout Stefon Diggs said. The talented young receiver took Sunday night's game against the division rival Packers into his own hands. Diggs went for 182 yards and a touchdown on nine catches as Sam Bradford's favorite target in Minnesota's 17-14 win. That was more than enough to earn him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.
Special Teams Players of the Week
Things were looking grim for the Baltimore Ravens as they faced a huge deficit early against the Cleveland Browns on Sunday. The Browns had just scored their third touchdown and were an extra point away from being ahead 21-0. Ravens defensive end Lawrence Guy put a damper in their celebration as he got a hand on Patrick Murray's kick, which led to rookie cornerback Tavon Young picking it up and running it back for two points. That swung the momentum ever so slightly in Baltimore's favor and the Ravens engineered their second-biggest comeback in team history, winning 25-20 and earning Guy the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
The New York Giants are 2-0 and Week 2's win over the New Orleans Saints can largely be attributed to NFC Special Teams Player of the Week Janoris Jenkins. An offseason addition, Jenkins scooped up a blocked field goal and scampered off for 65 yards and the first score of the game, putting New York up 7-0. The Giants would go on to win 16-13 with Jenkins contributing the only New York touchdown.
