Pat Mahomes isn't in this article this week.
Still here? Good.
In today's pass-happy league, it's rare we see some of the greatest impacts made on the ground. But the Big Apple was treated to a throwback blowout on Sunday, courtesy of a Jets offense that, incidentally, did most of its work while grounded.
Actually, they succeeded through the air, too. But not quite like they did in the running game.
Let's dive right into it. Was the pun intended? The world may never know.
Unstoppable Performer
Isaiah Crowell, New York Jets
Crowell is a good running back. The Jets paid him like one in the offseason.
But it's almost a guarantee they didn't expect Crowell to post a 219-yard day in his first season -- on only 15 carries.
Crowell did just that Sunday, racking up the yardage and a touchdown on long runs all afternoon. He posted runs of 15 yards or more five times, including three of 36 -plus yards. Long plays punctuated New York's day -- just ask Robby Anderson and Sam Darnold -- with Crowell leading the way.
The running back's previous single-game high for his career, which he spent floating in Cleveland, was 152 yards on 19 carries on New Year's Day 2017. His 14.6 yards per carry was also the highest of his career in one game.
Plus, watch the defenders hit the turf on this run (rough day for Bradley Roby). This should have gone for 8-10 yards. It went for 77 and a touchdown.
That's worthy of this week's honor. No doubt about it.
Also considered ...
James Conner, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers desperately needed an offensive explosion after falling flat in a primetime loss to Baltimore in Week 4. They got it Sunday.
We can scan the output from a 41-point day for Pittsburgh and give this to a number of players, but one stood out -- especially considering the shoes he's filling. Starting running back James Conner had his best day in such a role, rushing 21 times for 110 yards and two touchdowns.
That's a nice line. But where he made another difference was in the passing game, where the usual starter -- Le'Veon Bell -- separates himself from the majority of running backs. Conner caught all four of his targets for 75 of Ben Roethlisberger's 250 passing yards. That means Conner accounted for 185 of Pittsburgh's 381 total yards of offense.
Nearly half of the Steelers' output came from one man.
Budda Baker, Arizona Cardinals
Budda Baker quietly turned heads in Arizona as a rookie out of Washington last season. He was one of a handful of former Huskies to hit the NFL with emphasis in 2017, and ended up leading that group as a rookie, earning first-team All-Pro and Pro Bowl honors as a special teamer.
Year Two saw the departure of the man standing in his way in the starting lineup, safety Tyrann Mathieu. Baker has made the most of his new starting role, landing in the top five in tackles in the NFL through five weeks. A good chunk of his 48 tackles came Sunday in an odd victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
Baker recorded 16 tackles in the 28-18 victory, including 2.5 for loss, one pass defensed and a sack. And oddly enough, that wasn't even Baker's best performance of the season, according to Pro Football Focus' grades.
Another factor allowed for Baker's gaudy numbers: San Francisco more than doubled Arizona's total time of possession. The Cardinals' defense was on the field all afternoon.
Even with that considered, it's still one heckuva stat line from a second-year defender. Baker's arrow continues to point up.
