NFL Team of Week 17 featuring Dak Prescott, Julio Jones and Adrian Phillips
Wednesday 2 January 2019 12:30, UK
Who were the top performers from Week 17 in the NFL? We have picked out our Team of the Week...
In the final week of the regular season, there were few surprises. In the AFC, the Chiefs and Patriots secured first-round byes with victories, while in the NFC, a second-string Saints side (who had already secured a first-round bye and home-field advantage) lost to the Panthers.
There were many superstar performances in Week 16 of the NFL season, and we have picked out some of our stars from the action…
Quarterback - Dak Prescott, Dallas Cowboys
The 25-year-old led the Cowboys to a late fourth-quarter comeback over the Giants, as they won 36-35. Prescott threw for 387 yards and four touchdown passes, giving him a passer rating of 120.2.
Three of Prescott's touchdown passes were to tight end Blake Jarwin, with the other going to Cole Beasley.
Prescott is now the only quarterback to have thrown for 20+ touchdowns and rushed for five+ touchdowns in three straight seasons. He was the only quarterback to do it in two, so he's broken his own record. He is also the only quarterback in NFL history to have 30+ wins and 25 or fewer interceptions in their first three seasons.
Going into the playoffs, this Cowboys team could prove to be quite hard to beat, especially with Prescott at the helm.
Running Back - CJ Anderson, Los Angeles Rams
Sean McVay wants to keep Todd Gurley as fresh as possible for the playoffs, so Anderson got the nod for the Rams in their 48-32 win against the San Francisco 49ers.
Anderson pounded the 49ers on the ground, just like he did against the Cardinals in Week 16. The 27-year-old rushed for 132 yards on 23 carries for one touchdown. He also had three receptions for 22 yards.
With Gurley looking set to feature for the Rams throughout the playoffs, Anderson will undoubtedly see less playing time. However, through his first two weeks with the Rams, Anderson has 299 rushing yards and two touchdowns, so he could still see some reps in the backfield down the stretch.
Wide Receiver - Julio Jones, Atlanta Falcons
The 29-year-old enjoyed a great end to the season, as the Falcons just about beat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 34-32. Jones hauled in nine of 13 targets for 138 yards and a touchdown, in his first 100-yard receiving game since Week 14.
Jones' sole touchdown came with 20 seconds to go in the first half, as Matt Ryan picked him out between three Buccaneers defenders.
The former first round pick finished the season with the most receiving yards in the NFL, with 1,677. He also brought in eight touchdowns along the way to his sixth Pro Bowl appearance.
Tight End - Blake Jarwin, Dallas Cowboys
Jarwin's performance came as a surprise to most people, during the Cowboys' 36-35 win over the New York Giants. Jarwin secured the first touchdown reception of his career, followed by another two to give him a hat-trick.
The 24-year-old, who had only caught 20 passes this season before the game against the Giants, brought in seven passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns.
Jarwin's breakout performance couldn't have come at a better time for the Cowboys, as they're heading into the playoffs. So they'll be hoping he can emulate this performance when they face off against the Seattle Seahawks on wild card weekend.
Offensive Line - Buffalo Bills
The Bills trampled over the Miami Dolphins 42-17 in their final game of the season. Granted, Josh Allen was one of the big factors in the victory. However, his offensive line's ability to block the Dolphins' pass rush was one of the main reasons he was able to scramble for 95 yards and two touchdowns on just nine carries.
Chris Ivory and LeSean McCoy added 71 yards on the ground between them to complement Allen, with McCoy also running in a touchdown.
Bills defensive tackle Kyle Williams helped out on offense for a few snaps during his last NFL game. He helped the offensive line to push Allen into the end zone for a touchdown and then caught a nine-yard pass in the fourth quarter. What a way to end your career.
Defensive Line - Philadelphia Eagles
Fletcher Cox and company absolutely crushed Josh Johnson and the Washington Redskins, as the Eagles secured a playoff place with a 24-0 victory.
The Redskins only managed to get 119 yards of offense in the whole game - with 97 of those coming in the air. The other 21 came on the ground, with the Eagles allowing just 1.75 yards per carry from the Redskins backfield.
Cox ended the game with three sacks, to take his season tally up to 10.5. Michael Bennett also had a sack.
Linebacker - Tremaine Edmunds, Buffalo Bills
The rookie linebacker ended his season on a high, as he has 11 tackles, a sack and an interception during the 42-17 win over the Dolphins.
Edmunds has been a standout performer for the Bills defense all season and finished the year with 121 tackles - the most on the team.
Cornerback - Rasul Douglas, Philadelphia Eagles
With the Eagles limiting the Redskins offense to such little yardage in their blowout 24-0 win, Douglas' job wasn't overly hard.
However, the 24-year-old hauled in his third interception of the season when he jumped in front of a pass intended for wide receiver Josh Doctson. Douglas also had six combined tackles and a pass deflection in the game.
Safety - Adrian Phillips, Los Angeles Chargers
Phillips has quietly been doing a great job for the Chargers this season next to rookie sensation Derwin James. The safety helped to shut down the Broncos offense in the Chargers' 23-9 victory - which included a forced fumble.
With the Chargers only up 7-3, Phillips was able to rip the ball out of Broncos receiver Tim Patrick's hands, before Joey Bosa recovered it.
The 26-year-old also had 12 combined tackles and two pass deflections in the game.
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