At one point in time, this award was known as the Buckeye NFLer of the Week. Thanks to a typo and the ensuing LOLsession from the commentariat, it was renamed as the Houndie. Same intent, but now with a better name.
The NFL season is winding down with just three games left and after this past weekend's slate of games, the NFC playoff picture got a lot tighter and now has nine teams in the hunt for the last four spots.
In the AFC, it'll come down to Pittsburgh or Cincinnati earning the last spot, as Indy won again to maintain the two-game lead on both teams.
With the playoff races heating up, it was a slow week for the former Buckeyes, limiting this week's selection. But a name we haven't seen in the winner's circle since Week 17 of the 2010 season slightly rose above the mediocrity to capture The Houndie for Week 14.
Down in Cincinnati, the Bengals let one get away against the saddened Cowboys, who rallied around their tragically fallen teammate and won at the buzzer, 20-19. Mike Nugent hurt his calf in practice on Wednesday and had to watch his replacement, Josh Brown, connect on all four of his FG attempts.
However, as Nugent became inactive, Boom Herron made his NFL debut for the Bengals. After playing on the practice squad all season, Boom got time on special teams and made the most of it, tipping two Dallas punts. His effort should keep him around for at least another week and hopefully into the playoffs.
Meanwhile, Nate Clements had just a single tackle and should've picked off a Romo pass in the fourth, which might have gone the distance and sealed the win. Instead, Cincy failed to capitalize on the Steelers' loss and now must travel to Philly on Thursday, before going to Pittsburgh and facing Baltimore to close out the season.
Pittsburgh welcomed back Big Ben, but still got kicked in the groin at home by San Diego, who raced out to a 27-3 lead and ultimately a 34-24 win. Cam Heyward and Will Allen each had a tackle, while Heyward was credited with a QB hit.
The Steelers travel to Dallas for an afternoon tilt this weekend, before closing out the season in Pittsburgh with Cincy and Cleveland.
Last week's winner, James Laurinaitis, and the Rams continued their turn around season, with a come-from-behind 15-12 win at Buffalo.
Lil' Animal had his slowest day on the year tackle-wise, posting just three tackles all day, but he nearly picked off a Ryan Fitzpatrick pass and recovered a Buffalo fumble as the Bills entered the red zone early in the second quarter. The win puts the Rams at 6-6-1 and right in the thick of the playoff push.
The Vikings got a much-needed 21-14 win over the injury-riddled Bears in the Metrodome. Minnesota only had 11 completions for 91 yards, but four of those went to Michael Jenkins for 36 yards. On defense, Antoine Winfield had a nice game, registering three tackles, including one for a loss, while also knocking down two passes. The Vikes kept themselves in playoff contention, sitting a game behind Chicago for a wild card spot.
Philadelphia ended their seven-game losing streak, with a 23-12 win over Tampa, but Kurt Coleman didn't play a part in the victory. Instead, Coleman missed his first game of the season, with a sternum contusion.
What in the world has happened to Beanie? Dude goes for a 1,000 yards last year, and now is struggling to reach the 200-yard mark through 14 weeks. His six-carry, 18-yard performance now gives him 164 yards on the year and he shouldn't be surprised if the Cardinals give other RBs a look over the last three.
A.J. Hawk is shocked he hasn't won since 2010.It looks like the Saints' season is over, as their defense struggled through another game, giving up 52 points to the Giants. Malcolm Jenkins played but didn't record any stats, while Will Smith had two tackles, one of which went for a loss and a QB hit.
Out in San Francisco, the Niners took down the Dolphins, 27-13, and crept closer to Atlanta for the top spot in the NFC. Ted Ginn has such a diminished role these days, he touched the ball just once, returning a punt for 12 yards.
Donte Whitner helped out the defensive cause with four tackles and a PD, as the Niners held Miami to 227 total yards. Brian Hartline had a slow day, despite being targeted eight times, hauling in two catches for 34 yards. He now sits at 925 yards on the season. Austin Spitler had a special teams tackle on the day.
Monday night's game brought us the debut of DeVier Posey, who caught his first NFL pass for 19 yards, as the Texans got whooped by the Patriots, 42-14.
As you can see, it wasn't a stellar weekend for the ol' Buckeyes, but the man with the former golden locks helped lead his team to a huge divisional win, which coupled with a Bears' loss, puts the Packers in first place heading into this week's showdown with each other.
Despite the Packers' recent success, Hawk hasn't won the Houndie since Week 17 of the 2010 season, but his eight-tackle performance on Sunday earned him the nod this week. Hawk now has 104 tackles on the season, which is good for the team lead and puts him on pace for a career high.
Ryan Pickett had one of his most productive games on the season, notching six total tackles, as the Packers held Detroit to 135 yards on the ground.
After starting the season 2-3, the Packers have won seven of their last eight, putting them back in familiar territory atop the NFC North.
