Skip to main content
Advertising

NFL Summer Games: Cardinals, Patriots sit atop medal count

American football isn't an Olympic sport -- yet. But with the world's best athletes set to compete in the 2016 Olympics in Rio, we thought we'd get in on the fun by holding a medal competition at nine key positions. NFL Media analysts ranked the top three players at each spot, with points assigned accordingly -- three points for each first-place ranking, two for each second-place ranking and one for each third-place ranking. The points were totaled, resulting in final gold-, silver- and bronze-medal finishers. Below, you'll find the final medal count by team.

Final Medal Count

Gold medal = 3 points
Silver medal = 2 points
Bronze medal = 1 point

6 TOTAL POINTS

» Arizona Cardinals:Patrick Peterson (GOLD, cornerback), Tyrann Mathieu (GOLD, safety).

» New England Patriots:Tom Brady (GOLD, quarterback), Rob Gronkowski (GOLD, tight end).

5 TOTAL POINTS

» Pittsburgh Steelers:Antonio Brown (GOLD, wide receiver), Le'Veon Bell (SILVER, running back).

4 TOTAL POINTS

» Houston Texans:J.J. Watt (SILVER, edge rusher), J.J. Watt (SILVER, interior defensive line).

» Los Angeles Rams:Aaron Donald (GOLD, interior defensive line), Todd Gurley (BRONZE, running back).

» Minnesota Vikings:Adrian Peterson (GOLD, running back), Harrison Smith (BRONZE, safety).

» Seattle Seahawks:Richard Sherman (SILVER, cornerback), Earl Thomas (SILVER, safety).

3 TOTAL POINTS

» Carolina Panthers:Greg Olsen (SILVER, tight end), Cam Newton (BRONZE, quarterback).

» Dallas Cowboys:Tyron Smith (GOLD, offensive line).

» Denver Broncos:Von Miller (GOLD, edge rusher).

2 TOTAL POINTS

» Cleveland Browns:Joe Thomas (SILVER, offensive line).

» Green Bay Packers:Aaron Rodgers (SILVER, quarterback).

» New York Giants:Odell Beckham Jr. (SILVER, wide receiver).

» Washington Redskins:Jordan Reed (BRONZE, tight end), Trent Williams (BRONZE, offensive line).

1 TOTAL POINT

» Atlanta Falcons:Julio Jones (BRONZE, wide receiver).

» Cincinnati Bengals:Geno Atkins (BRONZE, interior defensive line).

» New York Jets:Darrelle Revis (BRONZE, cornerback).

» Oakland Raiders:Khalil Mack (BRONZE, edge rusher).

NFL Summer Games Factoids

» Rob Gronkowski was the only player to win a unanimous gold medal.

» J.J. Watt was the only player to medal in two different position groups (SILVER, edge rusher and interior defensive line).

» The widest gap between the gold and silver was at tight end, where Rob Gronkowski beat Greg Olsen by 35 points. The next-widest gap was at receiver, where Antonio Brown beat Odell Beckham Jr. by 33, followed by running back, where Adrian Peterson beat Le'Veon Bell by 21.

» The smallest gap between gold and silver was at safety, where Tyrann Mathieu beat Earl Thomas by six points, followed by edge rusher, where Von Miller won by seven over J.J. Watt, and interior D-line, where Aaron Donald won by 12 over Watt.

» Todd Gurley is the only player from the 2015 rookie class to receive a medal (BRONZE, running back).

» Of the nine teams that snagged two medals, only one missed the playoffs last season: the Rams.

» Darrelle Revis and Greg Olsen are the only medalists to have played for more than one team.

» Le'Veon Bell missed the most action last season among medalists by far, playing in just six games last season. Everyone else played in at least 13 games, with everyone but Odell Beckham Jr., Jordan Reed, Todd Gurley, Tyrann Mathieu and Harrison Smith playing in 16.

» The non-medalist who came closest to medaling: Eric Berry, who was one point away from bronze winner Harrison Smith at safety.

» The biggest gap between non-medalists and the podium was at edge rusher, where bronze winner Khalil Mack bested Justin Houston by 24 points.

» Fletcher Cox is the only non-medalist who received double-digit points (interior defensive line).

» Fourteen offensive linemen earned points, the most at any position. Quarterback featured the least players, with just seven earning points.

» The NFC had more total medals (16 to 11) and more gold medals (5 to 4) than the AFC.

» The NFC West netted the most total medals (6) and most gold medals (3).

This article has been reproduced in a new format and may be missing content or contain faulty links. Please use the Contact Us link in our site footer to report an issue.

Related Content