What about Bob?

The best and worst of Week 14. And more free advertising for Bob Mantz.

Giant of the week: Kevin Dockery, CB. His 71-yard touchdown return off a blocked field goal on the final play of the second quarter was the only highlight for the Giants in a 20-14 loss to the Iggles.

Jet of the week: David Harris, LB. Finally healthy again, Harris had a team-high eight tackles and five assists. He was about the only bright spot in a desultory performance by the Jets.

Offensive player of the week: Wes Welker, WR, Patriots. With a season-high 12 catches for 134 yards, Welker was the offensive star for a Patriots team that orchestrated a clutch comeback to beat Seattle 24-21 and pull into a three-way tie for the top spot in the AFC East.

Defensive player of the week: DeShea Townsend, CB, Stillers. His 26-yard TD return off an interception sealed Pittsburgh’s win over the Cowboys and allowed the Giants to clinch the NFC East despite losing to the Iggles.

December Fade award: Cowboys. Coming into Sunday’s game against the Stillers, the Pokes were a combined 18-36 in December/January games over the last 11 seasons, which dates back to the last time they won a playoff game. They faded down the stretch against the Stillers, as Tony Romo’s late INT sealed their fate.

Ya Gotta Believe award: The Cardinals. For all their years of dubious achievements, the Cardinals actually won a divisional title for the first time in 33 years by drubbing the Rams 34-10. They’d had just one winning season over the previous 24 years. Will it be enough to convince Chicago Norm to welcome the Cardinals back into his good graces? We’ll see. For years, CN’s quote about the Cardinals has been: “The Cardinals are dead to me.”

Doomsday Award: Lions. They continue to find new ways to lose, and are only three losses away from becoming the first team in NFL history to go 0-16. This time, it was a 20-16 home loss to the Vikings. With games remaining at Indy, home to New Orleans and at Green Bay, the chances are pretty good that they’ll pull it off.

Bottom fell out award: Packers’ defense. We’ve studied the offensive struggles throughout Year 1 of the Post-Favre Era, but what the heck happened to the defense? The Packers gave up 549 yards against Houston, for goodness sake. They made Matt Schaub look like … well … Brett Favre as the Texans won 24-21.

Comeback player of the year, Part 2. Chad Pennington, QB, Dolphins. He’s already won the award after coming back from shoulder surgery. But now that he has the Dolphins at 8-5 after a 1-15 season, he could very well win the award again. (Thanks to T-Rock for that one.)

Kerplunk award, Part 1: Bills. They’re 6-7 and going nowhere. Were they really 5-1 at one point?

Kerplunk award, Part 2: Redskins. They’re 7-6 and going nowhere. Where they really 4-1 at one point?

Unsung hero: Pierre Thomas, RB, Saints. A no-name backup until Reggie Bush and Deuce McAllister got hurt, Thomas has emerged as the Saints’ go-to guy. He rushed for 102 yards and two TDs in yesterday’s 29-25 win over the Falcons to keep the Saints’ playoff hopes alive.

Streaking award: Colts. At 3-4, it looked like their seasons was just about over. But six straight wins later, the Colts are the hottest team in the AFC. (We’re very happy about that, too, because we picked a Colts-Giants Super Bowl before the season.)

Rookie of the week: Chris Johnson, RB, Titans. He rushed for 136 yards and a TD in Tennessee’s romp over the Browns, as the Titans clinched the AFC South for the first time since 2002.

Where’s-a-fig-leaf-when-you-need-it award: Visanthe Shiancoe, TE, Vikings. Of course, he created a huge buzz yesterday when FOX accidentally showed his … um … yeah … in the post-game locker room. But before that, he caught his fourth touchdown pass of the season. That is exactly four more than Shockey has scored for the Saints this season.

Bob Mantz Power Rankings award: Bob Mantz. Mantz has somehow figured out a winning percentage for his power rankings vs. my power rankings, and he apparently kicked my a*s yesterday. Well done. It's another excuse for him to link to this blog, and me to link to his. Incidentally, I notice his page views has spiked in recent weeks - or just about the time we suspected psychadelics might have been used to make his power rankings. Whatever. Life's all about page views now.

Life's all about blog comments, too, but Mantz is unwilling to allow his readers to post comments on his blog. C'mon, Mantz. Get with the program.