The final week of the regular season was a good one for Ray Rice, Troy Polamalu and Richard Goodman.
Rice, the AFC Offensive Player of the Week, ran for 191 yards and two touchdowns for the Ravens in their 24-16 win over the Bengals. The victory clinched the AFC North, their first division title since 2006 and a first-round bye for the Ravens. Rice set a regular season career-best with a 71-yard touchdown run in the first quarter and added a 51-yard score in the fourth.
Polamalu spearheaded a strong defensive effort by the Steelers in their 13-9 win against the Browns. The Steelers allowed the Browns just 240 yards of offense on the day and Polamalu had an interception of Seneca Wallace. He’s the first Steeler to be named Defensive Player of the Week this season.
Goodman’s name is likely less familiar to football observers, but he earned Special Teams Player of the Week honors with the longest kickoff return in Chargers history. Goodman took a kick back 105 yards for a touchdown to help the Chargers beat the Raiders 38-26, spoiling the Raiders’ chances of winning the AFC West in the process. Goodman’s kickoff return was the third-longest in the AFC this year and topped Darren Sproles’ previous Chargers record of 103 yards.