Griffin III, Flacco named Offensive Players of the Week

By: Kim O'Hara | Posted: September 12, 2012

It comes as a small surprise that quarterbacks were named Offensive Player of the Week of their respective conferences. The players themselves, however, are a bit more unexpected.  Robert Griffin III of the Washington Redskins becomes the first rookie to earn Player of the Week honors in his NFC debut, as Baltimore’s Joe Flacco took the same honors in the AFC for a team historically known for its defense. 

Congratulations are in order for Griffin, as he went into a contentious environment on the road at New Orleans and played with poise and precision. He was kept predominantly in check by head coach Mike Shanahan, throwing short passes with just two over twenty yards (one of which soared to receiver Pierre Garçon for the week’s longest touchdown throw), but he proved himself more than capable in his first start. He was an agile runner and responded to (a surprisingly inefficient) Saints defense with an impressive level of calm. 

And Flacco played like the best quarterback in the league, as he believes himself to be. The Ravens trotted out a new no-huddle offense and Flacco embraced the change in an encouraging way against Cincinnati, throwing for just eight incompletions, 299 yards and two touchdowns. He didn’t utilize receiver Torrey Smith as much as some may have anticipated, but there are plenty of weeks left in the season to start connecting with the deep threat and adding even more yardage. 

Once again, it’s just one game each; not quite time to start MVP predictions. RGIII will face a surprising St. Louis defense that picked off Lions quarterback Matthew Stafford three times last week, while Flacco will attempt to evade a Philadelphia defense that was the only bright spot in a week one matchup against Cleveland. But for two offenses that have relied heavily on defensive performances in recent seasons, these Player of the Week accolades should serve as both commendation and further motivation.  

Kim O'Hara is the Assocate Editor of TheFootballGirl.com. She is an avid fan of sports in general, but the NFL in particular. She has also been a contributor to ESPN the Magazine. Follow her on Twitter: @arahomik 

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