Chicago's 31-23 win at Atlanta produced two of the six: Caleb Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards, and Kyler Gordon had three sacks and two forced fumbles, the last with three minutes left and the Falcons within eight. Jalen Ramsey ended Pittsburgh's overtime win at Tampa Bay with a fourth-down sack, Chad Ryland scored all 18 of Arizona's points in a win at the Rams, including a 43-yarder as time expired, Joey Slye made four field goals in Tennessee's first win, and C.J. Stroud threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns in a three-point win over Jacksonville in London.
W Texans 34, Jaguars 31 · vs Jacksonville Jaguars in London
24 of 34, 312 yards, 3 TD, 1 INT (9.2 yards per attempt, 116.3 rating)
Stroud threw for 312 yards and three touchdowns on 34 attempts against a Jacksonville team that was 4-1. Down 14-10 with 48 seconds left in the first half, he hit Jaylin Noel for 50 yards, and his 1-yard touchdown to Foster Moreau put Houston ahead 17-14 with 8 seconds left. His 13-yard touchdown to Noel on third-and-10 made it 24-14 in the third quarter. With the Texans up 31-28, Travis Hunter intercepted him in the end zone from the Jacksonville 4 with 3:59 left, and Cam Little tied it from 60 yards. Stroud completed both of his throws on the last drive, 6 and 19 yards to Woody Marks, to set up Ka'imi Fairbairn's 49-yarder as time expired. Josh Allen was the closest call: no turnovers and the go-ahead drive in a three-point win at Las Vegas. Allen's game was cleaner, but Stroud threw for 57 more yards and one more touchdown against a better team. Trevor Lawrence threw four in the loss.
Runner-up: Josh Allen, Bills: 23 of 33, 255 yards, 2 TD, 0 INT in a 33-30 win at Las Vegas
W Steelers 26, Buccaneers 19 (OT) · at Tampa Bay Buccaneers
10 tackles (9 solo), 2 sacks, including the game-ending sack on fourth down in overtime
Ramsey had 10 tackles and two sacks in an overtime win at Tampa Bay, and the second sack ended the game. Pittsburgh scored a touchdown on the first possession of overtime, and the Bucs drove to the Steelers' 48 needing one of their own. On fourth-and-8 with 1:06 left, Ramsey sacked Jalon Daniels for an 11-yard loss. His first sack came on Tampa Bay's first third down of the game and forced a punt. Jamel Dean was the closest call. His interception with 1:46 left in a 16-16 game, returned 40 yards to the Tampa Bay 3, set up the go-ahead field goal, and he defended six passes. But the Steelers settled for a 20-yarder that the Bucs answered, while Ramsey was in on 10 tackles and made the play that ended it. Tennessee's Jeffery Simmons had two sacks and forced and recovered a fumble at Indianapolis.
Runner-up: Jamel Dean, Steelers: 4 tackles, 6 passes defensed and an interception returned 40 yards to the Tampa Bay 3 with 1:46 left in a 16-16 game, in the same overtime win
4 of 4 field goals (29, 56, 49 and 44 yards), 2 of 2 extra points, 14 points
Slye made all four of his field goals in Tennessee's first win of the season, after the Colts led 13-0 at halftime. His 56-yarder late in the third quarter cut it to 13-6. After Jonathan Taylor's touchdown tied it 20-20 with 5:32 left, Slye's 49-yarder put the Titans ahead with 2:03 to go, and his 44-yarder with 43 seconds left made it a six-point game, so the Colts' last drive needed a touchdown. Tennessee's special teams also produced a blocked punt that Oluwafemi Oladejo returned 14 yards to break a 13-13 tie and Chimere Dike's 58-yard punt return that set up the tying touchdown, but no one player on those units accounted for as much as Slye's 14 points. Ka'imi Fairbairn was the closest call: his 49-yarder as time expired beat a 4-1 Jacksonville team in London, but it was one decisive kick against Slye's two. Chris Boswell made a 58-yarder to tie Tampa Bay late but missed from 48.
Runner-up: Ka'imi Fairbairn, Texans: 2 of 2 field goals (25 and 49 yards) and 4 of 4 extra points, with the 49-yarder as time expired in a 34-31 win over Jacksonville in London
30 of 36, 305 yards, 1 TD, 0 INT (83.3 percent, 111.2 rating)
Williams completed 30 of 36 passes for 305 yards without an interception on the road. Chicago scored touchdowns on its first two possessions: a 67-yard drive on which he went 6 for 6 and finished with a 14-yard score to Colston Loveland on second-and-13, and a 59-yard drive on which he hit Rome Odunze for 23 yards on third-and-17 and Luther Burden III for 25. He went 4 of 6 for 48 yards on the third-quarter drive that made it 28-7. Tyler Shough was the closest call: four touchdowns, three passing and one rushing, and no turnovers in a 34-27 win over a Giants team that came in 3-1-1. The Giants were the better opponent, but two of Shough's touchdowns came on drives of 28 and 21 yards after takeaways, and Williams threw for 161 more yards. Malik Nabers had 12 catches for 165 yards in the Giants' loss.
Runner-up: Tyler Shough, Saints: 16 of 30, 144 yards, 3 TD, 0 INT, plus 5 rushes for 32 yards and a TD in a 34-27 win at the Giants
Gordon, a cornerback, had three sacks and forced two fumbles in an eight-point road win. With Chicago up 21-7 in the third quarter, he sacked Michael Penix Jr. on third down at the Atlanta 10 and knocked the ball loose. The Falcons recovered at their 3, punted, and the Bears drove 52 yards for a 28-7 lead. After Chicago went up 31-7, Atlanta scored 16 straight points and had the ball at its 22, facing third-and-16 with three minutes left. Gordon sacked Penix again and forced another fumble, Devin Bush recovered at the Atlanta 28, and the Bears ran out the clock. Martin Emerson Jr. was the closest call with two interceptions in New Orleans' win at the Giants, but the first came with the Saints up 24-10 and the second at 34-10. Gordon's last takeaway came with the game in doubt.
Runner-up: Martin Emerson Jr., Saints: 7 tackles and 2 interceptions in a 34-27 win at the Giants
6 of 6 field goals (34, 30, 22, 38, 27 and 43 yards), 18 points
Ryland made all six of his field goals and scored all 18 of Arizona's points in a two-point win at the Rams. His 27-yarder with 9:28 left made it 15-9. Matthew Stafford's touchdown pass to Colby Parkinson, awarded on replay with 47 seconds left, put Los Angeles ahead 16-15. The kickoff went for a touchback, Jacoby Brissett hit Jalen Brooks for 21 yards and an unnecessary roughness penalty added 15, and Ryland made a 43-yarder as time expired. Daniel Carlson was the closest call with field goals of 58 and 51 yards in New Orleans' win at the Giants, but he missed from 55 and neither kick decided the game.
Runner-up: Daniel Carlson, Saints: 2 of 3 field goals (58 and 51 yards) and 4 of 4 extra points in a 34-27 win at the Giants
One player per slot, judged the way the power rankings judge teams: what happened on the field, against whom and where. Production counts, and so does the opponent. A big game against a good defense or on the road beats the same numbers at home against a bad one, and a play that decided the game beats one that padded a lead. A great game in a loss can still win if nothing else comes close.
NFL awards follow the league's format, AFC and NFC, and go up on Tuesday morning, a day before the league names its own. College awards are national and go up on Sunday morning. Where there's an official pick (the NFL's, or Walter Camp's for college offense and defense), it's listed under ours, agree or not.
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