Another week, another close race for the Sprint Game Ball of the Week. In my opinion, there were four contenders for the award this week: wide receivers Deion Branch and Wes Welker, cornerback Devin McCourty, and quarterback Tom Brady. Ultimately, this week, I had to hand out two game balls, or a co-game ball, so to speak. Tom Brady and Devin McCourty are splitting the award.
Unfortunately for Welker and Branch, the man throwing them the ball, Tom Brady, had a perfect quarterback rating. Brady was 100% unstoppable working out of the play-action, and was on the money on nearly every throw for the third straight week. When your quarterback throws four touchdowns, over 300 yards, has just six incompletions, and has a perfect rating, it's hard not to hand him a game ball. On a side note: At this point, Tom Brady has got to be the consensus for the NFL MVP.
On the other hand, it's hard not to hand rookie cornerback Devin McCourty either. As you know, McCourty came up with two interceptions, which is impressive in and of itself. However, McCourty completely shut down his side of the field, and more importantly, came up with the play that shifted the momentum of the game. Down 17-10, the Lions had all of the momentum and had just picked up a 17 yard gain on the ground. Enter Devin McCourty. Lions quarterback Shaun Hill targeted a pass for Calvin Johnson, who was mirrored the whole way by Devin McCourty. McCourty came up with the big interception, giving the Patriots excellent field position. The Patriots tied up the game at 17, and the rest was history.