FOR USE AS DESIRED
AFC-POW-16  12/29/04

COLTS QB PEYTON MANNING, BRONCOS LB D.J. WILLIAMS &
CHIEFS KR-PR DANTE HALL NAMED AFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 16

Quarterback PEYTON MANNING of the Indianapolis Colts, rookie linebacker D.J. WILLIAMS of the Denver Broncos and kick returner-punt returner DANTE HALL of the Kansas City Chiefs are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played the 16th week of the 2004 season (December 24-27), the NFL announced today.

OFFENSE: QB PEYTON MANNING, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS

• Indianapolis’ Manning surpassed DAN MARINO (48, 1983) for the most touchdown passes in a season with 49 and led his team to a come-from-behind 34-31 overtime win against San Diego to solidify the No. 3 seed in the AFC playoffs.  Manning completed 27 of 44 passes (61.4 percent) for 383 yards with two touchdowns against one interception.  The Colts trailed by eight points with 3:42 left in regulation when Manning and the NFL’s No. 1-ranked offense took possession on its own 20-yard line.  On the game-tying drive, the seven-year pro completed six of eight passes for 85 yards, including a 19-yard strike on fourth-and-four from the Indianapolis 26-yard line, which culminated in his record-breaking 49th TD pass of the season – a 21-yard completion to BRANDON STOKLEY.  Indianapolis was successful on its two-point conversion try and won the game on a 30-yard field goal two minutes into the extra session.

This is the fourth Player of the Week Award for Manning this season (Weeks 3, 10, 12) and the eleventh of his career.  Manning is one of eight offensive players to earn at least 11 Player of the Week Awards since the honor’s inception in 1984.

DEFENSE: LB D.J. WILLIAMS, DENVER BRONCOS

• Williams, Denver’s starting rookie inside linebacker (first-round, Miami) led his team with 10 tackles and an interception in a 37-16 win at Tennessee on Christmas night.  The victory enables the Broncos to control their own playoff destiny this Sunday against Manning and the Colts at INVESCO Field at Mile High.  Williams was the center of a defense that limited the Titans to 1-of-11 (9.1 percent) on third-down conversion tries and a 20:36 time of possession mark.  Williams leads the club with 109 tackles and aims to become the first Bronco rookie to lead the team in that category for a season since rookie linebacker TOM GRAHAM tied LYLE ALZADO (91) for the team-high mark in 1972.  Former Bronco Graham, incidentally, is the father of New England tight end DANIEL GRAHAM.

This is the first Player of the Week Award for Williams and the first on the season for an AFC defensive rookie.

 SPECIAL TEAMS: KR-PR DANTE HALL, KANSAS CITY CHIEFS

• For the second-consecutive week, Kansas City’s Hall earns the AFC Special Teams honor with a performance that gave his team an opportunity to win on Christmas Day, defeating division-rival Oakland 31-30.  Hall returned six kickoffs for 175 yards and a 29.2 average.  Hall’s final return of the day – with 1:07 remaining in regulation – went for 49 yards to the Oakland 36-yard line with the Chiefs trailing by two points.  The return set the Chiefs up with favorable field position and led to a game-winning field goal with 26 seconds to play.  This marks the second straight season that the former NFL Europe Scottish Claymore veteran (2001) has won back-to-back honors after earning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week four straight times in 2003.

In his fifth year from Texas A&M, this is Hall’s seventh Player of the Week Award – the most special teams honors by any Chiefs player in history.

2004 AFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

Other nominees for AFC Offensive Player of Week 16 were:

• New England quarterback TOM BRADY, who completed 21 of 32 for 264 yards and two touchdowns without an interception for a 112.0 passer rating in a 23-7 win over the Jets.  New England is 23-0 when Brady produces a 100.0+ passer rating.
• Kansas City tight end TONY GONZALEZ, who tied a career-high with 11 receptions for 124 yards and two touchdowns.
• Denver quarterback JAKE PLUMMER, who completed 80.8 percent of his passes (21 of 26) for 303 yards and two touchdowns against one interception for a 124.8 passer rating.
• Buffalo running back WILLIS MC GAHEE, who rushed for two touchdowns and 102 yards on 15 carries for a 6.8-yard average in a 41-7 win at San Francisco.  McGahee also caught a pass for 14 yards.
• Pittsburgh rookie quarterback BEN ROETHLISBERGER (No. 11), who completed 14 of 19 passes for a 73.7 completion percentage and 221 yards with two touchdowns against one interception for a 125.1 passer rating in a 20-7 win against Baltimore to clinch homefield advantage throughout the AFC playoffs.

Other nominees for AFC Defensive Player of Week 16 were:

• Buffalo defensive tackle SAM ADAMS, who posted a sack in his third-consecutive game for the second time in his career.
• Kansas City rookie defensive end JARED ALLEN (No. 126), who posted a pair of tackles, including 1.0 sack.
• New England linebacker TEDY BRUSCHI, who intercepted a pass at the Patriots’ 26-yard line to thwart a first-quarter scoring threat and returned it 36 yards.  Bruschi finished the game with a team-high eight tackles.
• Indianapolis defensive end DWIGHT FREENEY, who notched 1.0 sack last week and leads the NFL with 16.0 on the season.  Freeney now has a sack in four consecutive games for the second time in his three-year career.
• Pittsburgh defensive end JAMES HARRISON, who racked up six tackles, defensed two passes and recorded four quarterback pressures.

Other nominees for AFC Special Teams Player of Week 16 were:

• Pittsburgh kicker JEFF REED, who was a perfect two-for-two in field goal attempts with a long of 40 yards and made a pair of point-after conversions.
• Indianapolis kick returner DOMINIC RHODES, who helped his team attain a comeback victory with a fourth-quarter 88-yard kick return for a touchdown.  Rhodes recorded 206 kick return yards on the day for a franchise record on six returns (34.3 average).
• New England kicker ADAM VINATIERI, who set a single-season career-high in scoring his 138th point of the season after converting three of four field goal tries and two PATs.  His only miss was a 50-yarder into the wind.