It's time for our another day of PFC's Players of the Week for the third 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:
*Note: Last week, we were unable to post the Week 4 players of the week. So, following the Week 5 players of the week, you'll see the names of the people who earned the honors for Week 4.
Quarterbacks1.
Donovan McNabb: 18-of-33 for 354 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 fumble. 1 carry for 1 yard, 1 touchdown.
2.
Phillip Rivers: 24-of-37 for 242 yards, 2 touchdowns, 1 interception. 6 carries, 24 yards.
3.
Alex Smith: 15-of-19 for 165 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception. 2 carries, 10 yards.
Analysis: McNabb continues to make his name known in the quarterbacks section of our players of the week after a strong performance against the Cowboys. The other two quarterbacks came at the hands of impressive youngsters who led their teams to victory.
Running Backs1.
Deuce McAllister: 15 carries, 123 yards, 1 touchdown. 1 catch, 8 yards.
2.
Fred Taylor: 21 carries, 111 yards, 1 touchdown. 1 catch, 32 yards.
3.
Travis Henry: 19 carries, 123 yards. 2 catches, 10 yards.
Analysis: McAllister ran like crazy against the Buccaneers, establishing himself as the runner and Reggie Bush as the catcher. Fred Taylor did well as a pair with Maurice Jones, while Travis Henry had his best game rushing since his days with the Buffalo Bills.
Wide Receivers1.
Hank Baskett: 3 catches, 112 yards, 1 touchdown.
2.
Arnaz Battle: 4 catches, 37 yards, 2 touchdowns.
3.
Plaxico Burress: 7 catches, 69 yards, 1 touchdown.
Analysis: None of the typical receivers made their mark last week except for Plaxico Burress. Battle caught two scores for Smith, while Baskett recorded a long touchdown receptions against the Cowboys.
Tight Ends1.
Antonio Gates: 3 catches, 55 yards, 1 touchdown.
2.
Ernie Conwell: 2 catches, 14 yards, 1 touchdown.
3.
Kellen Winslow: 8 catches, 55 yards.
Analysis: Gates finally got involved in the Chargers offense, while Kellen Winslow continues to catch passes in Cleveland's offense. Still missing from the mix are Tony Gonzalez and Jeremy Shockey.
Kicker1.
Robbie Gould: 4-of-4 from 42, 43, 32, and 41 yards. 4-of-4 PAT's.
2.
Jay Feely: 4-of-4 from 24, 34, 32, and 40 yards.
3.
Phil Dawson: 4-of-4 from 41, 47, 22, and 32 yards.
Analysis: When three kickers hit four field goals in one week, a lot of people pull off victories solely due to their kickers. Feely's day was important, as he was involved in a close game. Dawson made his kicks amidst strong winds.
Team Defense1.
Jacksonville: 0 points allowed, 6 sacks, 3 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered against New York Jets.
2.
Chicago: 7 points allowed, 3 sacks, 3 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered against Buffalo.
3.
Denver Broncos: 3 points allowed, 2 sacks, 3 interceptions against Baltimore.
Analysis: All three defenses are dominating, plain and simple. The Jaguars made a nice rebound after two consecutive letdowns, while the Bears and Broncos continued to steamroll over their opponents.
WEEK 4 PLAYERS OF THE WEEKQuarterbacks1.
Marc Bulger: 26-of-42 for 328 yards, 3 touchdowns.
2.
Mark Brunell: 18-of-30 for 329 yards, 3 touchdowns, 1 interception.
3.
Donovan McNabb: 16-of-30 for 288 yards, 2 touchdowns. 5 carries, 47 yards, 2 touchdowns.
Running Backs1.
Julius Jones: 23 carries, 122 yards, 1 touchdown.
2.
Laurence Maroney: 15 carries, 125 yards, 2 touchdowns. 1 catch, 15 yards.
3.
Larry Johnson: 30 carries, 101 yards, 2 touchdowns. 4 catches, 41 yards.
Wide Receivers1.
Terry Glenn: 5 catches, 54 yards, 2 touchdowns.
2.
Santana Moss: 4 catches, 138 yards, 3 touchdowns.
3.
Steve Smith: 10 catches, 87 yards, 1 touchdown.
Tight Ends1.
Todd Heap: 4 catches, 60 yards, 1 touchdown.
2.
Kellen Winslow: 3 catches, 31 yards, 1 touchdown.
3.
Tony Gonzalez: 5 catches, 59 yards.
Kicker1.
Jeff Wilkins: 4-of-5 from 42, 19, 46, and 47 yards. 3-of-3 PAT's.
2.
Morten Anderson: 5-of-5 from 34, 40, 36, 26, and 28 yards. 2-of-2 PAT's.
3.
Josh Scobee: 3-of-3 from 46, 43, and 41 yards. 3-of-3 PAT's.
Team Defense1.
Chicago: 6 points allowed, 5 sacks, 2 interceptions against Seattle.
2.
Atlanta: 3 points allowed, 4 sacks, 2 interceptions, 2 fumbles recovered, 1 touchdown against Arizona.
3.
Philadelphia: 9 points allowed, 2 interceptions, 1 fumble recovered against Green Bay.
Stay tuned to PFCritics for our weekly players of the week.