Flacco, Jenkins, Vinatieri selected for AFC weekly honors
Sports Network | November 05, 2008
New York, NY (Sports Network) - Baltimore Ravens quarterback Joe Flacco, New York Jets defensive tackle Kris Jenkins and Indianapolis kicker Adam Vinatieri have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 9 of the NFL season.
Flacco captured the offensive honor by throwing for a career-high 248 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in Baltimore's 37-27 victory over Cleveland. The rookie completed 17-of-29 passes and directed a Ravens offense that compiled a season-high 429 yards.
Jenkins earned the defensive award with three tackles and two sacks in New York's 26-17 win over Buffalo. His pressure of Bills quarterback Trent Edwards led to an interception return of 92 yards by Abram Elam that put the Jets ahead for good late in the first quarter. He also helped limit Buffalo to just 30 yards rushing.
Vinatieri's 52-yard field goal midway through the fourth quarter lifted the Colts to an 18-15 victory over New England and garnered the veteran the special teams honor for the week. The kick was the first of over 50 yards for Vinatieri since 2002 when he played for the Patriots. It marked his 11th career special teams honor and third with Indianapolis.
Others considered for the offensive award included Miami receiver Greg Camarillo, who caught a career-high 11 passes for 111 yards in a 26-17 victory over Denver; Tennessee rookie running back Chris Johnson, who posted 89 rushing yards with a touchdown and 72 receiving yards in a 19-16 overtime win against Green Bay; and Pittsburgh backup quarterback Byron Leftwich, who took over for an injured Ben Roethlisberger Monday night against Washington and completed 7-of-10 passes for 129 yards with one touchdown in the second half of a 23-6 win.
Defensive nominees were Pittsburgh linebacker James Farrior, who had 13 tackles and a half-sack against the Redskins, and Baltimore linebacker Terrell Suggs, who notched nine tackles and returned an interception 42 yards for the game-clinching score against the Browns.
Consideration for the special teams award included Miami rookie kicker Dan Carpenter, who was good on all four of his field goal tries -- including three of more than 40 yards -- against Denver; and Cleveland kick returner Joshua Cribbs, who recorded seven kick returns for 237 yards with a 92-yard touchdown against the Ravens.
