Week 16 NFL Top Performers
Posted: Tuesday December 22, 1998 12:20 AM
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Tidal wave: Ricky Watters set season highs with 32 carries for 178 yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown keyed a 17-point comeback in Seattle's 27-23 win AP |
James Allen? Jeff
Blake? Torrance
Small? Brandon
Bennett? This week's top performers show that much of the NFL is
experimenting -- trying to find who's worth keeping beyond next week.
Some of the league's best are still piling up yards and touchdowns, but
other teams are looking ahead, taking a step back and letting the kids
play. Then again, when the kids are rookies like Randy Moss and Robert Edwards, it's not
such a major concession.
So that's Week 16 -- some of what you'd expect, some of what you'd never
expect. With the postseason (or lackthereof) wrapped up for all but a
half-dozen teams, Week 17 will only be more unpredictable.
Next week, we'll also unveil the 1998 Top Performers, bringing together the
best from all 17 weeks, and asking you to vote on who deserves the season
honors, the best of each week's best. We'll tally the votes during the
playoffs and announce your selections before the Super Bowl. For now, there
are weekly performers to salute ... Top Ground Gainer
On a day when the Seahawks were eliminated from the playoffs, Ricky Watters helped
Seattle to victory with the kind of day the team had expected of him when
they signed him as a free agent in the off-season. Watters set season-highs
with 32 carries for 178 yards, and his fourth-quarter touchdown keyed a
17-point comeback in Seattle's 27-23 win.
Unfortunately, this is Watters' first game as a Seahawk in which he
averaged 5.0 yards per carry. It's only his second 100-yard effort in the
last 12 games. For the year, Seattle is now 4-0 when he rushes for 100
yards, 4-7 when he doesn't.
Still, Seattle can't be too disappointed with his performance. Watters is
fourth in the AFC in rushing, within 21 yards of Eddie George and Marshall Faulk, who
struggled to just 30 and 19 yards, respectively, this week. His 1,226 yards
is the second-best total of his seven-year career. Offensive Outburst
Award
Antonio Freeman may not have much to say about his three-touchdown,
186-yard performance in the Packers' 30-22 win over Tennessee. Then again,
he's only two weeks removed from having his jaw broken and wired shut.
It sounds painful, but the injury may have jarred Freeman out of a
midseason funk that saw him go three games without a 100-yard game or
touchdown. Sunday's three touchdowns were as many as Freeman had in any
month this season.
This week's touchdowns were long, too -- Brett Favre hit him for 57
and 68 yards in the first quarter alone, before adding a 32-yard scoring
strike later. Freeman has had catches longer than 44 yards in only three
other games this year.
Freeman's 13 touchdown catches put him in a tie for second in the NFL, and
he now has the most in the league over the past three seasons -- 34, one
ahead of Minnesota's Cris
Carter. Losing Effort Award
The Oilers' playoff hopes took a big hit Sunday with Tennessee's loss to
Green Bay, but quarterback Steve McNair continues to
shine. For the second straight week, McNair was the team's leading rusher,
and his three touchdown passes matched a season-high. Since his other 3-TD
performance, McNair had just two touchdown passes in six weeks.
But on Sunday, with tailback Eddie George coming up with just 30 rushing
yards, McNair set career-highs with 29 completions and 49 attempts. His 263
yards was the second-highest total of the season.
And since George isn't rushing for much lately, McNair's taking up the
slack. After not rushing for 50 yards or more once in the first half of the
season, he's done it four times in seven games. Top Rushing
Performances Ricky Watters, Seahawks, 32 carries, 178 yards
James Allen, Bears, 23
carries, 163 yards
Jamal Anderson, Falcons,
30 carries, 147 yards
Emmitt Smith, Cowboys, 25
carries, 110 yards
Garrison Hearst, 49ers, 27
carries, 107 yards
Fred
Taylor, Jaguars, 23 carries, 105 yards
Jerome Bettis, Steelers,
21 carries, 104 yards
Gary Brown, Giants, 25
carries, 103 yards
Robert Smith, Vikings, 19
carries, 101 yards
Robert Edwards, Patriots, 24 carries, 101 yards
Top Passing Performances Jake Plummer, Cardinals,
32-44, 1 INT, 0 TD, 394 yards
Jeff Blake, Bengals, 20-36, 1 INT, 1 TD,
367 yards
Dan Marino,
Dolphins, 23-38 1 INT, 4 TD, 355 yards
Peyton Manning, Colts,
23-39, 1 INT, 1 TD, 335 yards
Steve Young, 49ers, 18-23,
2 INT, 2 TD, 267 yards
Kerry Collins, Saints,
25-43, 0 INT, 1 TD, 265 yards
Steve McNair, Oilers, 29-49, 1 INT, 3 TD,
263 yards
Brett Favre, Packers, 14-22, 0 INT, 3 TD, 253 yards
Craig Whelihan, Chargers,
19-39, 2 INT, 1 TD, 251 yards
Koy Detmer, Eagles, 24-43, 1 INT, 0 TD,
231 yards
Doug
Flutie, Bills, 14-38, 1 INT, 1 TD, 220 yards
Top Receiving
Performances Antonio
Freeman, Packers, 7 catches, 186 yards
Darnay Scott, Bengals, 7
catches, 152 yards
Frank Sanders, Cardinals,
10 catches, 138 yards
Lamar Thomas, Dolphins, 6
catches, 136 yards
Torrance Small, Colts, 3 catches, 120 yards
Brandon Bennett, Bengals, 3 catches, 119 yards
Jerry Rice, 49ers, 5
catches, 115 yards
Eric
Moulds, Bills, 4 catches, 107 yards
James Jett, Raiders, 5
catches, 106 yards
Derrick Alexander, Chiefs,
6 catches, 97 yards
Rob
Moore, Cardinals, 9 catches, 97 yards
Yancey Thigpen, Oilers, 8
catches, 90 yards
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