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Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley and Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow were among the Players of the Month for November, as named by the NFL on Thursday.
Barkley and Burrow were the NFC and AFC Offensive Player of the Month, respectively. They were joined by the NFC Defensive Player of the Month in Minnesota Vikings pass-rusher Jonathan Greenard and AFC Defensive Player of the Month in Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II.
Miami Dolphins kicker Jason Sanders and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates were the Special Teams Players of the Month for their respective conferences, while Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Braden Fiske were Offensive and Defensive Rookies of the Month.
Although the NFL MVP Award has been dominated by quarterbacks in recent years, Barkley played his way into the conversation with a dominant month of November.
In four games, Barkley racked up 626 yards and five touchdowns on the ground, plus 151 yards and one score through the air. The Eagles also went 4-0 and cemented themselves as the top team in the NFC East.
Barkley signed with the Eagles in free agency during the offseason after spending his first six seasons with the New York Giants, and it has been a match made in heaven thus far.
The 27-year-old running back leads the NFL in rushing yards (1,499) and yards from scrimmage (1,766), making him the front-runner for NFL Offensive Player of the Year honors even if he doesn’t win MVP.
While the Eagles are 10-2 and looking like legitimate Super Bowl contenders, Burrow’s Bengals have gone in the opposite direction.
They are a disappointing 4-8 on the year and one more loss would likely ensure a second consecutive season outside the playoffs, but Burrow certainly hasn’t been the reason for their struggles.
In November, Burrow threw for 1,035 yards, 12 touchdowns and one interception over three games, although Cincinnati posted a record of just 1-2.
For the season, Burrow leads the NFL with 3,337 passing yards and 30 passing touchdowns, plus he has thrown only five interceptions. However, if the Bengals do not reach the playoffs, his MVP hopes are likely slim at best.
Greenard has four sacks and eight tackles for loss for a Vikings team that went 4-0 in November, and Surtain allowed just nine receptions for 55 yards during the month, while the Broncos went 2-2.
Sanders made all 10 of his field goal attempts and all 13 of his extra points in November, and Bates went 8-for-9 on field goals and 17-for-17 on extra points.
Bowers strengthened his Offensive Rookie of the Year case in November with 32 receptions for 342 yards and three touchdowns, while Fiske registered an impressive five sacks and six tackles for loss.
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