When a star like Khalil Mack has a five-sack game, single-handedly pushing his team to an upset win over the Broncos, the performance is good for two reasons: One is that we know he's playing for a coach that knows how to properly utilize him. Mack leads the NFL in sacks, edging out Detroit's Ziggy Ansah. The second is that we can start talking about Khalil Mack more often. Mack was No. 1 on Around The NFL's Making The Leap series this year for good reason. He was already a star after his stellar rookie campaign, and now he's a star that can be recognized with other players on his level like Von Miller and Justin Houston. After the game, Mack's teammate Charles Woodson compared him to the legendary Derrick Thomas. If earning this award was not enough, that is the type of association that could keep someone happy for a lifetime.
Your other winners this week...
AFC
Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick: Fitzpatrick has been on a roll of late -- especially after shaving his Yukon Cornelius beard -- and is maximizing his time with the tandem of Eric Decker and Brandon Marshall. Fitzpatrick and Marshall have been superb this season, aiding Fitzpatrick's 21-of-36 performance last week against the Titans, which included 263 yards and three touchdowns.
Jaguars WR/PR Rashad Greene: The Jags had a statement win on Sunday, torching their division rivals and putting up more than 50 points against a defensive head coach in Chuck Pagano. Greene played a big part, logging a 73-yard punt return for a touchdown despite the fact that the Colts were kicking away from him all afternoon.
NFC
Giants quarterback Eli Manning: A lot of people laughed when Ben McAdoo asked his new quarterback to hit on 70 percent of his passes in the new offense. Manning only beat that mark by a measly 17 percent on Monday night in a win over the Dolphins, hitting on 27 of 31 passes for 337 yards and four touchdowns.
Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald: Like Mack, we don't talk about Aaron Donald nearly as much as we should. In a 21-14 win over the Lions, Donald logged three sacks, adding to his incredible total of 11. For an interior rusher, these are budding Hall of Fame numbers.
Cardinals K Chandler Catanzaro: Catanzaro was a perfect three for three against the Vikings in a crucial game, and was also perfect on extra points. In a 23-20 victory, that makes all the difference.
