NFL Sunday awards: KaVontae Turpin, Saquon Barkley, Malik Nabers and Patrick Mahomes amongst Week 12 headlines

Saquon Barkley’s monster day, Austin Seibert’s kicking hell and Baker Mayfield’s finest Tommy DeVito impression – we hand out our NFL Sunday awards after a wild end to Week 12…

Story of the day…

“Call an ambulance,” stated KaVontae Turpin. “But not for me,” he would swiftly add.

The Dallas Cowboys had been watching their newest instalment of distress as Turpin, backed up on the sting of his goalline, muffed Austin Seibert’s kickoff simply moments after Zach Ertz’s landing catch had handed the Washington Commanders a 20-15 lead with 3.02 to play. For all their struggles this season, the Cowboys protection had pissed off Jayden Daniels and a supressed, fatigued Commanders offense that continued to come back up shy on the finish of drives for a lot of the sport. It was about to be an unrewarded effort for Mike McCarthy’s facet.

Turpin, the best man within the stadium, thought not. He turned, crouched, scooped up the free ball, tip-toing ahead for 10 yards, earlier than pausing for a second after which spinning away from the primary Commander to achieve him. All of the sudden the sector had opened up and the Dallas returner was tearing free on the best way to a 99-yard home name throughout which he cracked a high pace of 21.35mph, the third-fastest high pace on a kickoff return this season.

He now accounts for 3 of the 20 quickest speeds recorded by a ball service in the course of the 2024 marketing campaign, having hit 22.36mph on final week’s 64-yard landing catch-and-run, which marked the quickest pace by a ball-carrier since 2020. Silky offensive structure and execution is what fashionable soccer thrives on, however typically it wants solely unadulterated pace to impress mayhem, and Turpin delivers it time after time.

Turpin signed with the Cowboys in 2022 after being named MVP of the inaugural USFL season with the New Jersey Generals, for whom he recorded 921 all-purpose yards in his one season. Earlier than then he frolicked taking part in for the Panthers Wrocław in Poland as a part of the European League of Soccer, and earlier than then had featured on the indoor soccer scene with FCF Glacier Boyz and the Frisco Fighters having seen off-field authorized points scupper his NFL hopes following his time at TCU.

On Sunday he loved the most important second of his profession as a momentary treatment to what has been a painful season in Dallas, in doing so bolstering his popularity as one of many NFL’s most explosive return specialists.

With Turpin magic got here Seibert agony, the Commanders kicker first seeing his boot returned the size of the sector for a landing earlier than then lacking the additional level to ship the sport to extra time with 20 seconds left after Terry McLaurin’s 86-yard rating had moved Washington inside one. It had the texture of John Carney, the New Orleans kicker who infamously missed an additional level to achieve extra time towards the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2003 after the Saints had scored an inconceivable, odds-shattering landing by the use of three lateral passes as time expired.

Juanyeh Thomas adopted up by returning the following onside kick for a 43-yard landing to cap a wild sequence during which 38 factors had been scored in 5 minutes and 41 in whole in the course of the fourth quarter. One of many video games of the season.

The ‘is he the MVP?’ of the day

You might not see a extra smug smile on the very fact of a quarterback than that of Jalen Hurts after watching Saquon Barkley skip away for a 72-yard landing because the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Los Angeles Rams 37-20 on Sunday night time. No one within the NFL is taking part in higher soccer than Barkley, who has not solely nudged forward of Derrick Henry within the race for Offensive Participant of the Yr however would possibly even stake a case for MVP by the top of the season.

Barkley posted 255 dashing yards and two touchdowns from 26 carries alongside 4 catches for 47 yards, changing into the primary participant to file 500-plus scrimmage yards over two video games since Walter Payton in 1977, in accordance with Opta Stats. He’s now as much as 1,649 yards from scrimmage on the yr, his 302 whole yards on Sunday the fifth-most by a working again in a single sport in NFL historical past.

The Eagles and Barkley felt tailored for each other, explosive home-run again alongside ground-threat quarterback in an RPO-heavy offense and with one of many league’s finest run-blocking offensive strains. A recipe for destruction and now the explanation they’re cruising in the direction of the playoffs, to not point out being the embodiment of the New York Giants’ worst nightmare.

The sad Naber of the day

It’s getting uglier and uglier in New York, the place a curler coaster week resulted in one other pitiful efficiency because the Giants have been humiliated 30-7 by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Tommy DeVito endured a largely depressing day as he went 21 of 31 for 189 yards whereas being sacked 4 instances and hit on 9 events after taking up as beginning quarterback from Daniel Jones, who was benched earlier this week earlier than later being launched upon request.

Any hope of DeVito and his charismatic agent delivering one other feel-good story was swiftly deflated by a Baker Mayfield-inspired win, the Bucs quarterback even mimicking his counterpart’s ‘Italian hand gesture’ celebration to rub salt within the wound in entrance of Giants followers after his landing run. The Giants product is identity-less and the model of soccer sufficient to show followers away lengthy earlier than the top of the sport; even worse, the franchise’s cornerstone gamers are starting to vent their frustration with growing animosity.

Amongst these was rookie extensive receiver Malik Nabers, who had six catches for 64 yards after not being focused as soon as within the first half.

“It ain’t about the quarterback,” Nabers stated after the sport. “Same thing happened when DJ [Daniel Jones] was the quarterback. Go out there, first and second quarter, don’t get the ball, and targets at the end. You can’t do that. Started to get the ball when it was 30-0. What do you want me to do?”

As for his lack of early targets, he added: “Talk to (coach Brian Daboll).”

Star nostril deal with Dexter Lawrence in the meantime criticised his group for enjoying “soft”.

It was the sort of show that may heighten concern over the way forward for each head coach Brian Daboll and normal supervisor Joe Schoen.

The ‘Shanahan would possibly explode’ of the day

Kyle Shanahan could have by no means regarded as able to roundhouse any individual on the sideline as he did on Sunday on the sight of the San Francisco 49ers protection being flagged for having 12 males on the sector… on back-to-back performs. Pre-snap penalties are inexcusable within the NFL at the perfect of instances, however such negligence throughout a defining stage of the season for a limping group is sufficient to ship a head coach into untold realms of madness.

The 49ers are wounded and teetering in the direction of a playoff-less season on the again of February’s Tremendous Bowl heartbreak, falling to 5-6 on the backside of the NFC West after a 38-10 defeat to the Inexperienced Bay Packers, impressed by three Josh Jacobs touchdowns. San Francisco have been with out Brock Purdy, Nick Bosa and Trent Williams, however even their absence couldn’t excuse one other show of shoddy tackling, missed assignments, 9 penalties and the open invitation they supplied to the Packers floor sport.

“This is probably one of the worst ones I’ve been a part of,” stated linebacker Fred Warner. “It is embarrassing. You’ve got to take it on the chin, take it like a man, and move on.”

They’ve six video games to save lots of their season, inside that run being a frightening highway journey to face the Buffalo Payments, a divisional spherical conflict with the Rams, a gathering with the Tua Tagovailoa-revived Miami Dolphins and the small matter of dealing with the league’s finest offense within the Detroit Lions.

The ‘who?’ of the day

There’s all the time an fascinating stage in the course of the second half of the NFL season when obscure working backs start to seem on the sector, whether or not it’s in gentle of harm or dropping groups searching for to search out out what they’ve on the roster.

Sunday staged the NFL debut of Since McCormick as he ran for 33 yards from 5 carries for the Las Vegas Raiders of their 29-19 loss to the Denver Broncos. The 24-year-old was taking his first-ever NFL snaps having signed as an undrafted free agent out of UTSA in 2022, with each Alexander Mattison and Zamir White absent.

Latest weeks have additionally thrown up a reminder that Ameer Abdullah stays within the league, with the veteran Raiders working again making 5 catches for 37 yards and a landing alongside eight carries for 28 yards whereas that includes in 88 per cent of snaps. Abdullah has been within the league since being drafted by the Detroit Lions as a second-round choose in 2015, since which he has additionally frolicked with the Minnesota Vikings and Carolina Panthers. A welcome throwback, notably for the Fantasy Soccer gamers amongst you.

Midnight considered the day

But once more, Tua Tagovailoa’s absence has underlined his true worth to the Miami Dolphins, who one way or the other stay alive within the playoff hunt because of the return of their beginning quarterback. Miami regarded down and out amid a large number of a backup plan as Tagovailoa missed time resulting from a concussion earlier this season, however three straight wins have them again within the combine at 5-6 within the AFC East.

Their star quarterback, who it must be reminded was within the MVP race at one stage final season, went 29 of 40 for 317 yards and 4 touchdowns to steer the Dolphins to a 34-15 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday. He has now accomplished 77 of 104 passes for 812 yards, eight touchdowns and only one interception over the past three outings, lifting an offense during which the likes of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle had turn into mere bystanders with out him underneath middle.

He stays one of many NFL’s slickest processors whereas armed with one of many sharpest releases in soccer, as a lot contributing to Mike McDaniel’s window-dressing system in lifting Miami’s offense again someplace near the requirements anticipated of it. Sunday noticed the Dolphins make use of movement at a season-high fee of 93.7 per cent, resulting in all 4 of Tagovailoa’s landing passes; Miami are getting their spark again, and look a totally totally different group with Tua piloting issues.

Monday morning espresso considered the day

You may line up towards the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs with the perfect of intentions, you may blanket Travis Kelce on the out-route or the crosser, you may drop two safeties excessive to eradicate Xavier Worthy, you may double up on DeAndre Hopkins, you may stack the field to tackle Creed Humphrey and co. All for Patrick Mahomes and his not-so-blistering pace to hold him to a field-flipping scramble. It is infuriating, and he does it higher than anyone.

He scrambled twice in extra time in the course of the Chiefs’ game-winning drive towards the 49ers on the Tremendous Bowl, he reeled off a 26-yard run to arrange the game-winner towards the Eagles the yr earlier than, and on Sunday broke Carolina Panthers hearts with a 34-yard burst down the sideline to tee up Spencer Shrader’s decisive kick within the ultimate seconds simply moments after Chuba Hubbard had discovered the top zone to maintain the sport alive.

His really feel for the pocket, for the sector and for the event of a play is an unsung trait to his greatness, and a devastating weapon to have in his again pocket. One-score video games on the loss of life are his playground, and in some ways why he’s the perfect. It got here on considered one of his extra environment friendly days by the air, Mahomes ending 27 of 37 for 269 yards and three touchdowns, together with his scramble-and-strike bullet to Hopkins for an important crimson zone rating within the third quarter.

A nod, too, to Panthers quarterback Bryce Younger, who produced considered one of his higher performances since coming into the NFL as he completed 21 of 35 for 263 yards and a landing with some glimpses of the playmaker we noticed at Alabama.

One of the best week of the yr… of the day

Thanksgiving Week is right here! Right here is your reminder that you may watch EIGHT NFL video games reside on Sky Sports activities this week, together with a triple-header on Thanksgiving Thursday adopted by the Kansas Metropolis Chiefs towards the Las Vegas Raiders in a Black Friday matchup from 8pm.

Your regular service resumes with two unique video games on Sky Sports activities at 6pm and 9.25pm on Sunday, earlier than the Payments face the 49ers in Sunday Evening Soccer and the Cleveland Browns tackle the Denver Broncos in Monday Evening Soccer.