Dramatic victories were had by the first-place Green Bay Packers and Kansas City Chiefs in Week 15 and both were buoyed by all-star performances from players who are among the elite at their positions.
Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers came through time and again to lead Green Bay on Sunday, while Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce capped off a Kansas City overtime triumph with a walk-off score on Thursday.
For their extraordinary efforts, Kelce and Rodgers were lauded as NFL Players of the Week, which were released Wednesday morning.
Rodgers, the NFC Offensive Player of the Week, was sensational to the tune of throwing three touchdowns and no interceptions in the Packers' 31-30 win over the Baltimore Ravens on Sunday. Rodgers threw for 268 yards and tallied a 132.2 QB rating as he completed 74.2% of his passes.
Kelce capped a two-touchdown Thursday night with a wild, weaving game-winning score to lead the Chiefs past the Los Angeles Chargers, 34-28. It was one of his 10 receptions for an eye-popping 191 yards and earned him AFC Offensive Player of the Week.
Cameron Jordan led the charge for the New Orleans Saints' impressive 9-0 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday night. Jordan racked up two sacks and five tackles and added a crucial forced fumble to help the Saints to an upset and himself to NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Detroit Lions kicker Riley Patterson had a busy Sunday, but helped mightily in his team's 30-12 upset of the Arizona Cardinals. Patterson made all three of his field goal tries (from 37, 47 and 45 yards) and all three of his point-after tries en route to earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
The Indianapolis Colts' pivotal 27-17 victory over the New England Patriots was keyed by their defense, which was led by Darius Leonard, who was tabbed AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Leonard gobbled up the stats with 10 tackles, one tackle for loss, a forced fumble and a clutch interception.
Houston Texans defensive back Tremon Smith had a sensational all-around day on special teams Sunday and was recognized accordingly as AFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the Texans' 30-16 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars, Smith had a 98-yard kickoff return for a touchdown, downed a punt inside the 5-yard line and had a special teams tackle.
