I figured this one was in the bag – so much so that I went ahead and wrote this story ahead of time. But just like I did with Nnamdi signing with the Cowboys, I had to scrap it.
No, DeMarco Murray didn't win NFC Offensive Player of the Week. Apparently, setting the Cowboys' franchise record of 253 rushing yards, which is the 10th best performance in league history, wasn't good enough for the league office. The NFL picked Saints QB Drew Brees instead for his five-touchdown performance in the Saints' 62-7 win. Pretty amazing stats for Brees as well, completing 31 of 35 with no interceptions.
And while you can say Brees did it against the Colts, Murray of course, did his damage against the Rams, who are also winless.
It's too bad for Murray, who would've become the first Cowboys' rookie to win this award since Quincy Carter did it 10 years ago and just the third overall. And no Cowboys running back has been Offensive POW since Emmitt Smith in 2002 the week he broke Walter Payton's rushing record.
For Brees, it's his 13th time to win the Player of the Week award, and 11th with the Saints.
But fans can also help Murray win two more awards this week. He's nominated for the FedEx Ground award and the Pepsi Rookie award. Both winners will be announced Friday on NFL Network's *Total Access *and NFL.com.