NFL Update: AFC East Player Performance Partition (Part 2)
This is a continuation of the previous article, which is an analysis of players’ performance in recent weeks.
Contrary to players whose performances have been steadily decreasing, we have players who have indeed been displaying an increase in talent in recent weeks and deserve and honorable mention.
First up we have Mr. Chad Henne of the Miami Dolphins. According to reports, many thought that Henne’s season was over when he injured his knee in their Week 10 game against the Tennessee Titans. But after missing only one game, he came back to give one
of the best performances in his career in Week 12 against the Oakland Raiders. He had a completion percentage of 57% and threw for 307 yards in addition to two TDs with only once interception in their victory over Oakland, 33-17.
Next up is New York Jets’ Brad Smith. Known as the Jets’ “Swiss army knife,” he can do anything that he is told to do, and more. By the way, for those that have taken refuge at the bottom of a lake or somewhere similar, a Swiss army knife is a pocket knife
that has other functions as well, such as tools. Now Smith is like a Swiss army knife because he rushed 53 yards for a TD, had one reception for 23 yards, and had a kickoff return TD for 89 yards, 40 of which he ran without his left shoe. Now
that’s versatile.
Probably one of the least known yet best nose tackles in the entire NFL is Buffalo Bills’ Kyle Williams. Most wouldn’t think that he is different from any other nose tackle, but he is more than meets the eye. Built as a nose tackle, Williams is also amazingly
fast for his position. His performance this season is causing many people to feel that he is Pro Bowl material. He racked up two sacks against the Pittsburgh Steelers and their “Steel Curtain” defense and acts more like a pass rusher than a run-stopper. He
created chaos on the Steelers’ offense and also picked up multiple penalties.
Last, but certainly not least, on the list of rising stars in the AFC East is New England Patriots cornerback Devin McCourty. This talented rookie picked up two interceptions in their game against the Detroit Lions, bringing his season total to five. Being
a rookie, his performance is really admirable. His first interception in the Lions game came in the third quarter, which kept Detroit from getting ahead by two scores. His second interception, in the fourth quarter, took the victory out of reach for the Lions
and kept it in the hands of the Pats.
Although there are still five games left in the season, it is easy to tell who will be performing well in the rest of the season and whose season might be coming to an end, injuries aside. However, there is still a chance for lower ranking teams to get into
the playoffs, not to mention the Wild Card games, which means that it is still anybody’s game.
Stay tuned!
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