Josh McDaniels wins coach of the week award from Peter King

Peter King, MMQB:

The Patriots looked to be down for the count after getting swamped in the Week 4 Monday-nighter at Kansas City 41-14. Alarm bells all over New England, from Kennebunkport to New London. In the four weeks since, juggling an offensive line with three combinations in four games and getting a new tight end (Tim Wright) ready to contribute, McDaniels has the offense purring: New England has scored 43, 37, 27 and 51 points in the last four games. Who’d have thought the Patriots would follow that game in Kansas City with a four-game stretch averaging 39.5 a game? Good to have Tom Brady at quarterback, obviously. But also good to have a play-caller who understands what works with the talent he has.

In almost any week, Peter King of MMQB could be out of the country and still be able to give his weekly awards without watching the games. He could just pick up any newspaper and see which team scored the most points, and award that offensive coordinator the weekly prize. Week 8 in the NFL was not one of those times. There were three teams with future HOF QB's at the helm that just went off the charts. Their offensive game strategies were flawless.

The New Orleans Saints kept their season alive last night by trouncing the Green Bay Packers, 44-23. Saints offensive coordinator, Pete Carmichael Jr. of Boston College had his best outing of the year. The ground game went for 193 yards on 31 carries. RB Mark Ingram had 24 carries for 172 yards. QB Drew Bees completed 27 of 32 passes for 311 yards and 3 TD's. He could have gotten more if he needed to. The QB rating was 138.4. The 418 passing yards from Green Bay Packers QB Aaron Rodgers were not nearly enough against the Saints on Sunday evening.

For the second time in his career, Pittsburgh Steelers QB Ben Roethlisberger passed for over 500 yards. Last time, it was against the Green Bay Packers in 2009 in a 37-36 win on the final play. Against the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday, it was just too easy. Ben threw 40 completions in 49 attempts for 522 yards with 6 TDs and a QB rating of 150.6. There were no sacks, and time of possession was 39 minutes 43 seconds for the Steelers. RB Le'Veon Bell also rushed 24 times for 92 yards. The game plan from offensive coordinator, Todd Haley worked to perfection. Even when Indy closed the gap to 8 points with three minutes to go in the third quarter 42-34, the outcome was never in doubt.

The Chicago Bears celebrated a bit too much when DE Lamarr Houston sacked Patriots QB Jimmy Garoppolo with under five minutes to play in the fourth quarter. The Bears defense had finally figured out the game plan of the Patriots offense.

Offensive Coordinator,Josh McDaniels and QB Tom Brady were in perfect harmony with 32 rushes and 35 pass attempts. The ground game gained 122 with RB Jonas Gray contributing 86 yards on only 17 carries. The aerial attack had Tom Brady completing 85.7% of his passes on 30 for 35. If you take away the two dropped balls, the ratio is 91.4%. Throw in five TDs, 354 yards, QB rating of 148.4 and happy days are here, again.

I say it was an easy choice for Peter King to award Josh McDaniels, offensive coach of the week. Even if he was reporting from London.


Every picture tells a story. The smiles have returned. Maybe that trip to Kansas City was worthwhile, after all.


Paul Murphy is a freelance writer from New Hampshire.

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