Westbrook, Slaton earn Player of the Week awards

Dec 3, 2008 - 7:03 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- Running backs Brian Westbrook of the Philadelphia Eagles and Steve Slaton of the Houston Texans on Wednesday were named the respective NFC and AFC Offensive Players of the Week.

Westbrook had a huge game, rushing for 110 yards and scoring four touchdowns in the Eagles' 48-20 victory over the Arizona Cardinals on Thanksgiving Day.

In what has been an injury-plagued campaign, Westbrook became the fourth player in league history to run for 100 yards and have two rushing and two receiving scores in the same game. It was his third career weekly honor.

Slaton ran for 130 yards and added two receptions for 52 to spark the Texans to a 30-17 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

The team's third-round pick this year, the rookie posted his third 100-yard game of the season and second in three weeks. He ranks third in the AFC with 904 rushing yards.

A pair of defensive ends, Jared Allen of the Minnesota Vikings and Robert Mathis of the Indianapolis Colts, won Defensive Player of the Week awards, while Carolina Panthers kick-punt returner Mark Jones and Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Maurice Leggett were honored for special teams.

Allen posted eight tackles and three sacks during the Vikings' 34-14 win over the Chicago Bears on Sunday. It was his 11th career touchdown. He ranks fourth in the league with 11 sacks.

Mathis scored the only touchdown in the Colts' 10-6 victory at Cleveland, returning a fumble for a score. He also had a pair of sacks to help Indianapolis extend its winning streak to five games.

Jones set a team record with a kick-return average of 38.8 yards in the Panthers' 35-31 victory at Green Bay. He had 201 combined kick-return yards, including a pair of returns that set up two fourth-quarter touchdowns.

Leggett scooped up a bungled lateral on a fake field goal attempt and returned it 67 yards for a touchdown, helping the Chiefs get past the Oakland Raiders, 20-13. He also contributed five tackles on special teams.