MVP meter: Week 17

Faulk proves he’s most valuable for second straight season

By Michael Holbrook, Managing editor of special projects
Tuesday, Jan. 8, 2002

1. Marshall Faulk, Rams RB — Rushed 20 times for 168 yards with one touchdown and caught five passes for 58 yards in the Rams’ decisive 31-13 victory over the Falcons. In 14 games played, Faulk carried the ball 260 times for 1,382 yards (5.3 avg.) with 12 touchdowns. He also made 83 catches for 765 yards (9.2 avg.) with nine touchdowns.
2. Kurt Warner, Rams QB — Directed the Rams to their 14^th win of the season, a 31-13 decision over the Falcons. He completed 25-of-30 passes for 280 yards with three touchdowns and three interceptions. For the season, Warner was the NFL’s top-ranked passer with a passer rating of 101.4. He completed 375-of-546 passes (68.7%) for 4,830 yards with 36 touchdowns and 22 interceptions. Warner’s passing yardage total is second all-time behind Dan Marino’s 5,084 total in 1984.
3. Brett Favre, Packers QB — Completed 15-of-30 passes for 315 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions in the Packers’ 34-25 victory over the Giants. The win boosted Green Bay’s record to 12-4 and earned it a home game in the first round of the playoffs. This season, Favre completed 314-of-510 passes (61.6%) for 3,921 yards with 32 touchdowns and 15 interceptions.
4. Brian Urlacher, Bears LB — Was in on three tackles and made one sack in the Bears’ 33-13 victory over the Jaguars. The win clinched the NFC Central Division title for the Bears and ensured them a first-round bye and a home game for the playoffs. He finished the regular season with 117 tackles, six sacks, two forced fumbles, three interceptions and eight passes defensed as the leader of a Chicago stop unit that allowed the fewest points (203) in the NFL.
5. Kordell Stewart, Steelers QB — Had a terrible day in snowy conditions, but the Steelers prevailed anyway, 28-7 over the Browns. Stewart was just 8-of-16 passing for 72 yards with no touchdowns and two interceptions. He also rushed four times for 38 yards, but fumbled twice. For the season, Stewart completed 266-of-442 passes (60.2%) for 3,109 yards with 14 touchdowns and 11 interceptions. He also has rushed 96 times for 537 yards (5.6 avg.) with five touchdowns.
6. Rich Gannon, Raiders QB — Completed 23-of-38 passes for 224 yards and one touchdown in a 24-22 home defeat to the Jets. The loss was the Raiders’ third straight heading into the playoffs. For the season, Gannon was the AFC’s top-rated passer (95.5 rating) as he completed 361-for-549 (65.8%) passes for 3,828 yards with 27 touchdowns and nine interceptions. Eight of his interceptions came in the last eight weeks.
7. Jeff Garcia, 49ers QB — Completed 14-of-21 passes for 263 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions in leading the 49ers to a 38-0 romp over the Saints in New Orleans. The win gave the unheralded Niners an impressive 12-4 record. For the season, Garcia completed 316-of-504 passes (62.7%) for 3,538 yards with a career-high 32 touchdowns and just 12 interceptions.
8. Curtis Martin, New York Jets RB — Rushed 16 times for 50 yards with no touchdowns in the Jets’ 24-22 victory over the Raiders. He also fumbled in the fourth quarter, leading to a Raiders field goal. He ended up second in the AFC in rushing with 1,513 yards on 333 carries (4.5 avg.) with 10 touchdowns. He also caught 54 passes for 328 yards (6.1 avg.). However, he failed to score a touchdown after Week Nine.
9. Tom Brady, Patriots QB — Completed 17-of-29 passes for 198 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions in the Patriots’ 38-6 victory over the Panthers. The win capped an amazing turnaround for New England as it went from a 0-2 start to an 11-5 record that put it atop the AFC East Division. For the season, Brady completed 264-of-413 passes for 2,843 yards (63.9%). The second-year player out of Michigan threw 18 TD passes with 12 interceptions and led the Pats to an 11-3 record in his 14 starts.
10. Michael Strahan, Giants DE — Was shut down for most of the day, but finally got the one sack he needed to set the NFL record for most sacks in a season in the fourth quarter of the Giants’ 34-25 loss to Green Bay. The sack gave him 22.5, breaking ex-Jet Mark Gastineau’s season record of 22. Strahan also had 73 tackles, six forced fumbles and two passes defensed in an All-Pro season.
    
    

Best of the rest

11. Ahman Green, Packers RB — Rushed for 101 yards on 23 carries with two touchdowns to help the Packers to a 34-25 win over the Giants. It was his seventh 100-yard game of the season. Green finished second in the NFC with 1,387 rushing yards on 304 carries (4.6 avg.) with nine touchdowns. He also has caught 62 passes for 594 yards (9.6 avg.) and two touchdowns.
12. Donovan McNabb, Eagles QB — Did not play in a meaningless season finale for the 11-5 Eagles. For the season, he completed 285-of-493 passes (57.8%) for 3,233 yards with 25 touchdowns and 12 interceptions. He also rushed 81 times for 492 yards (6.0 avg.) and two touchdowns.
13. Priest Holmes, Chiefs RB — Rushed 23 times for 117 yards and caught six passes for 52 yards in the Chiefs’ 21-18 loss to the Seahawks in Seattle. For the season, he won the AFC rushing title with 1,555 yards on 327 carries (4.8 avg.) with eight touchdowns. He also caught 62 passes for 614 yards (9.9 avg.) and two touchdowns. He ended up leading the NFL in total yardage with 2,169 yards.
14. David Boston, Cardinals WR — Was held to two catches for 58 yards in rainy conditions as the Cardinals fell to the Redskins 20-17. For the season, he had 98 catches for an NFL-best 1,598 yards (16.3 avg.) with eight touchdowns. He had nine 100-yard receiving games in a breakout season.
15. Jerome Bettis, Steelers RB — Didn’t play for a fifth straight week with hip and groin injuries. All totaled, Bettis has carried the ball 225 times for 1,072 yards (4.8 avg.) with four touchdowns. More importantly, he carried the Steelers’ offense early in the season and was a big reason why they went on to post a 13-3 record, making them the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

Dropped out

None.

Last week’s list

1. Marshall Faulk
2. Kurt Warner
3. Brett Favre
4. Kordell Stewart
5. Brian Urlacher
6. Rich Gannon
7. Curtis Martin
8. Jeff Garcia
9. Tom Brady
10. Donovan McNabb
11. Ahman Green
12. Michael Strahan
13. Jerome Bettis
14. Priest Holmes
15. David Boston

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