RB Peterson, QB Cutler named Players of the Week

Nov 12, 2008 - 6:15 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Minnesota Vikings running back Adrian Peterson and Denver Broncos quarterback Jay Cutler were honored as the respective NFC and AFC Offensive Players of the Week on Wednesday.

Peterson rushed for a season-high 192 yards and the winning touchdown, a 29-yard scoring run with 2:22 to play, to lift Minnesota to a 28-27 victory over the Green Bay Packers.

It was the fourth consecutive 100-yard game for Peterson, who took over the league lead in rushing with 1,015 yards. The first player in Minnesota history to rush for 1,000 yards in each of his first two seasons, Peterson won his third career Player of the Week award.

Cutler threw for a career-high 447 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in rallying Denver to a 34-30 win over the Cleveland Browns.

All three of Cutler's scoring passes came in the fourth quarter, including a 93-yard strike to rookie Eddie Royal. It was the highest yardage total by an AFC quarterback this season.

Defensive Player of the Week awards went to end Julius Peppers of the Carolina Panthers in the NFC and middle linebacker Ray Lewis of the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC.

Peppers tied a team record with three sacks and forced two fumbles in the Panthers' 17-6 win at Oakland. It was the third three-sack game of Peppers' career and marked his second career weekly honor.

Lewis posted a team-high nine tackles and two interceptions in the Ravens' 41-13 victory over the Houston Texans - their fourth win in a row. Lewis, who was honored with the weekly award for the seventh time, posted his third two-interception game of his career.

Special team honors went to linebacker Chase Blackburn of the New York Giants and punter Craig Hentrich of the Tennessee Titans.

Blackburn recorded three tackles on special teams and recovered a fumble on a kickoff to help the Giants defeat the Philadelphia Eagles, 36-31, in an NFC East showdown. Blackburn also had a huge defensive play, making a tackle on 4th-and-1 in the final minutes to stop the Eagles' final drive.

Hentrich helped the undefeated Titans win the battle of field position in their 21-14 victory over the Chicago Bears. The 15-year veteran matched a career high by dropping five punts inside the 20-yard line, giving him 20 on the season to tie for the league lead. It was his fifth weekly award.