Thomas, Dareus and Carder named AFC's best for Week 5

Oct 8, 2014 - 4:23 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Denver Broncos wide receiver Demaryius Thomas, Buffalo Bills defensive tackle Marcell Dareus and Cleveland's Tank Carder have been selected as the AFC's top players for Week 5 of the NFL season.

Thomas had eight catches for a career-high 226 yards with two touchdowns in Denver's 41-20 win over Arizona to capture the offensive award for the second time in his career. He set a Broncos record for receiving yards in a game, surpassing the mark of 214 by Shannon Sharpe in 2002.

Dareus picked up the defensive honor for the first time after notching a career-high three sacks with a forced fumble and five tackles in Buffalo's 17-14 win at Detroit. He became the third Bills player to be honored this season, joining kicker Dan Carpenter (Week 1) and C.J. Spiller (Week 2).

Carder was chosen as the top special teams player, as his blocked punt for a safety helped the Browns to a 29-28 win over Tennessee. He helped Cleveland overcome a 25-point deficit, the largest any road team has overcome en route to a victory in NFL history.

Others considered for the offensive award were Cleveland quarterback Brian Hoyer, who threw for 292 yards with three touchdowns in the comeback win over the Titans; San Diego running back Branden Oliver, who ran for 114 yards with a touchdown on 19 carries in a 31-0 win over the New York Jets; and New England quarterback Tom Brady, who threw for 292 yards with a pair of touchdowns in a 43-17 rout of Cincinnati.

Defensive nominees included Patriots cornerback Kyle Arrington, who had seven tackles, a forced fumble and a 9-yard fumble return for a touchdown against the Bengals; and Tennessee safety Michael Griffin, who had 14 tackles with a sack and an interception in the loss to Cleveland.

Carpenter was again up for the special teams award after his 58-yard kick in the closing seconds gave the Bills the victory in Detroit.