Demaryius Thomas is back in a big way, something the Arizona Cardinals learned firsthand in Sunday's 41-20 defeat at the hands of the Broncos. Denver's top wide receiver put to rest questions over his quiet start to the season with eight catches for 226 yards and a pair of touchdowns. After struggling through a foot injury last month, Thomas showed off his blazing speed on scores of 86 and 31 yards. His explosive effort was enough to earn him the AFC Offensive Player of the Week award for Week 5.
Flipping conferences, Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson won NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after tearing through Washington's defense for 201 yards passing and another 122 yards rushing in Monday night's 27-17 win over the Redskins. Wilson completed 18 of 24 passes for twotouchdowns with another score on the ground.
With Thomas back to form in Denver and Wilson playing the best football of his career, the Broncos and Seahawks remain the favorites to represent their respective conferences for a second consecutive time in February's Super Bowl.
Here are the other Week 5 award winners:
AFC
Buffalo Bills DT Marcell Dareus: Notched five tackles, three sacks and a forced fumble in Buffalo's 17-14 win over the Detroit Lions.
Browns linebacker Tank Carder: This week's special teams winner in the AFC, Carder blocked a punt out of bounds in the end zone for a safety and had a special teams tackle in Cleveland's wild comeback win over the Tennessee Titans.
NFC
Green Bay Packers LB Julius Peppers: Racked up a 49-yard pick six, a half-sack and three tackles in Thursday night's 42-10 trouncing of the Minnesota Vikings.
San Francisco 49ers K Phil Dawson: Converted all five field-goal attempts and scored 16 points in a 22-17 win over the Kansas City Chiefs.
The latest Around The NFL Podcast recaps every Week 5 game and unveils our long-awaited choice for Team of Around The NFL. Find more Around The NFL content on NFL Now.
