Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers, Giants linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka and Cardinals return man Patrick Peterson have been named the NFC’s players of the week.
Rodgers had the kind of extraordinary day that’s becoming the norm for him: He completed 21 of 26 passes for 247 yards, with four touchdowns and no interceptions, while also running for 52 yards. Rodgers’ 145.8 passer rating for the day was tremendous, although it actually wasn’t even his best passer rating for a game this season — and Rodgers has yet to have a single game with a passer rating lower than 111. Rodgers is the first player in NFL history to have a passer rating of 110 or higher in eight straight games.
Kiwanuka had an interception and a team-high 12 tackles to lead the defense as the Giants beat the Patriots 24-20. The Giants became the first team in more than five years to hold the Patriots scoreless for the first half of a game at New England.
Peterson’s sensational 99-yard punt-return touchdown handed the Cardinals an overtime victory over the Rams. It was the second-longest punt return touchdown in NFL history, the second time in NFL history that a game ended with a punt return touchdown in overtime and the longest overtime play ever (tied with Ron Jaworski’s 99-yard pass to Mike Quick in 1985) in NFL history.