20. Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Last week: 22nd
Michael Penix Jr. had three touchdown passes and 225 yards through the air as the Falcons tried to mount a late come-from-behind win against the Chicago Bears on Sunday afternoon, but it was too little, too late. He was strip-sacked with about 3 minutes left in the 4th quarter, and he really struggled with Dennis Allen’s pressure plan in the 1st half.
It’s important to remember that Penix is still getting his feet wet this season. He’s only been playing for a couple of weeks. The comeback attempt against the Bears was impressive, but feels a bit hollow considering the struggles of the first half.
It doesn’t help that rookie receiver Zachariah Branch lost two fumbles in this game, muffing a punt and losing a fumble on a kickoff. It’s hard for any team and quarterback to overcome losing the turnover battle 3-1.
19. Deshaun Watson, Cleveland Browns
Last week: 12th
How about a fourth game-winning drive from Deshaun Watson already this season?
The Cleveland Browns are the 1st-place team in the AFC North right now, and this is the latest in a season they’ve been in 1st place since 2014.
That’s wild to think about.
Watson has been a big reason why, even if the defense was the true star of the day. We saw Watson go out there and make plays when he needed to, including hitting Jerry Jeudy in stride for a huge play that helped set up Andre Szmyt’s game-winning kick.
In defensive battles like the one we saw in Cleveland on Sunday, you want to make sure you win the turnover battle. And sometimes, there’s just a lot of value in doing exactly that: Taking care of the football.
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