It's time for our second week of PFC's Players of the Week for the second week of the season. Every week, we will name the top three players of the week for the following positions: quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, kicker, and team defense. The first player at each position will earn two points, the player that is ranked second will earn one point, and the player ranked third will earn 1/2 of a point. At the end of the season, the points will be tallied up, and the winners at each position will be crowned the PFCritics players of the year. One special note: the players are selected not only based on the stats they put up that week, but also the toughness of the opponent they were facing. For example; if Manning throws for 300 yards against the Texans while Leftwich does the same against the Steelers, Leftwich would probably get the higher ranking. So, without further adieu, let's get started:

Quarterbacks
1. Eli Manning: 31-of-43 for 371 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception.
2. Rex Grossman: 20-of-27 for 289 yards, 4 touchdowns.
3. Peyton Manning: 26-of-38 for 400 yards, 3 touchdowns. 2 carries, 2 yards.
Analysis: Both Mannings made their first appearance of the season, with Eli getting the better of his brother due to the great comeback he made against the Philadelphia Eagles. The surprise of the group is Rex Grossman, who has quickly shut me up about wanting Brian Griese to be the team's starting quarterback.


Running Backs
1. Rudi Johnson: 26 carries, 145 yards, 2 touchdowns. 2 catches, 3 yards.
2. LaDainian Tomlinson: 13 carries, 71 yards, 2 touchdowns. 7 catches, 51 yards.
3. Frank Gore: 29 carries, 127 yards, 1 touchdown, 1 fumble. 2 catches, 10 yards.
Analysis: Rudi Johnson was able to carve away at the Browns defense late in the fourth quarter, showing the great durability he has after pounding away at a defense for a full game. Tomlinson's numbers look low, but he could have probably had a 200-yard rushing day if he didn't give way to Michael Turner after the game was out of reach. Meanwhile, Frank Gore was a big part of an upset win over the St. Louis Rams.


Wide Receivers
1. Amani Toomer: 12 catches, 137 yards, 2 touchdowns.
2. Laveranues Coles: 6 catches, 100 yards, 1 touchdown.
3. Antonio Bryant: 4 catches, 131 yards, 1 touchdown.
Analysis: Although Plaxico Burress caught the game winner, Toomer is the one earning the top nod at receiver. He set up the comeback for Eli, and had one of his best games ever as a New York Giant. Coles was a big part in the Jets' near-comeback win, including a couple of plays where he made tremendous shifting moves to get by the Patriots' defense. Bryant was controversial early in the game, but made a huge 70-yard plus play late in the game.


Tight Ends
1. Desmond Clark: 5 catches, 85 yards, 1 touchdown.
2. L.J. Smith: 7 catches, 111 yards.
3. John Gilmore: 2 catches, 8 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Analysis: How weird is it to see two tight ends from the Chicago Bears win awards in the same exact week? Between them, they had three touchdowns. Smith was a solid target for McNabb in a losing effort, but he did outshine Jeremy Shockey.


Kicker
1. Ryan Longwell: 3-of-4 from 26, 22, and 19 yards. 1-of-1 for 16 yards, 1 touchdown. 1-of-1 PAT.
2. Rian Lindell: 3-of-3 from 33, 45, and 43 yards. 1-of-1 PAT.
3. Matt Stover: 4-of-4 from 25, 33, 37, and 23 yards. 2-of-2 PATs
Analysis: Longwell missed one field goal, but the big story came with his game winning-field goal and his perfectly executed fake-touchdown pass. Meanwhile, Lindell and Stover were perfect in helping their teams put points on the board.


Team Defense
1. Jacksonville Jaguars: 0 points allowed, 2 sacks, 2 interceptions against Pittsburgh.
2. Baltimore Ravens: 6 points allowed, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, 3 fumbles, 1 safety against Oakland.
3. Chicago Bears: 7 points allowed, 6 sacks, 3 fumbles against Detroit Lions.
Analysis: When you shut out the Steelers, you may earn defensive performance of the year right away. The Ravens and the Bears nearly matched their performances from a week ago, absolutely destroying their competition. Unfortunately, the Chargers had to be left out of this list, but they deserved it just as much as Baltimore and Chicago.

Stay tuned to PFCritics for our weekly players of the week.