Bengals Week 17 "Unsung Hero Of The Week Award"

Seeing as how Josh left me with such a plethora of choices for this award after his MVP nominations from Monday, I initially felt that I would have to dig deep for players for this week's award. After reviewing the tape and looking at the box score, I was wrong. Many players contributed to the season finale-trouncing of the Ravens, even if they were overlooked at first glance.

Andrew Hawkins: Would you have guessed that Baby Hawk was the leading receiver on the day? The Bengals masterfully used Hawkins in the slot as a great outlet for Andy Dalton and he paid off big time. Hawkins had three catches on five targets for 74 yards. He had a whopping 24.7 yards per catch on Sunday and the hope is that he'll come up big in the postseason this year.

Reggie Nelson: There are few contributors on the Bengals who consistently do their job at a high level more than Nelson. Since his arrival in 2010, he has solidified a safety spot that had been an Achilles heel for the Bengals for so many years and 2013 is no exception. In the season finale, Nelson used his usual combination on hard-hitting and pass defending skills to the tune of seven tackles and two passes defensed.

BenJarvus Green-Ellis: Sunday against the Ravens might have been one of the hardest that I've personally seen The Law Firm run in his Bengals tenure. He had 11 carries for 66 yards and was constantly breaking tackles against a formidable Ravens defense. When the Bengals were close to getting a stranglehold on the game, Green-Ellis had a statement run down to the Ravens one-yard line after pushing his way through numerous defenders to set up a first and goal situation.

A.J. Green: Yes, the perennial Pro Bowler may have loafed on a play or two on Sunday, but he still had one of the biggest plays of the game with a 53-yard bomb from Dalton. On the deep touchdown play, Green absolutely torched Ravens safety Matt Elam and hauled in the score that gave the Bengals a lead and they never trailed afterward. Other receivers stepped up opposite Green, but the go-to guy made a huge play and came seven yards short of breaking the franchise record for receiving yards in a single season.

Trevor Robinson: Though some would argue that Kyle Cook still had a better showing in limited time on Sunday, Green-Ellis had two big runs right up the gut after Robinson took over when Cook hurt his foot. Yes, Robinson had the worst run blocking score of all of the Bengals' linemen who played on Sunday, he still came in relief and backs still had right around four yards per carry on the day. I always give props to players who step in for another player unexpectedly, unless they play awful in their stead and Robinson filled in adequately.