Bama Central

Kenyan Drake/Julio Jones Named BamaCentral Pro Athlete of the Week

Kenyan Drake and Julio Jones the first split winners of the BamaCentral Pro Athlete of the Week

Christopher Walsh

T.G. Paschal/Bama Central

Sometimes it's just not worth breaking the tie. 

Such is the case with the BamaCentral Pro Athlete of the Week (Dec. 9-15), which was shared by a pair of football players who had outstanding games Sunday. 

Arizona Cardinals running back Kenyan Drake ran for 137 yards and scored four touchdowns to lead a 38-24 win over Cleveland. Both were career highs. 

Meanwhile, Atlanta Falcons wide receiver Julio Jones had 134 receiving yards on  and two touchdowns during a 29-22 road win at San Francisco. 

Jones scored the game-winning touchdown with two seconds left in the game, and his 13 receptions tied his career best. 

In the process, he made some history. 

With 11,881 receiving yards since entering the NFL in 2011, Jones surpassed Torry Holt (11,864) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (11,776) for the most receiving yards by a player in his first nine seasons in the NFL.

Jones also has 780 receptions in his first nine seasons and surpassed Brandon Marshall (773) and Wes Welker (768) for the fourth-most receptions in a player's first nine seasons. He trails only Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison (845), Antonio Brown (837) and Holt (805). 

Also considered ... 

• Justin Thomas went 3-1-1 and played a key part in sparking Team USA's comeback in the Presidents Cup in Australia. 

• Jonathan Allen had nine tackles (seven solo) including two for a loss, while Ryan Anderson notched five tackles, two sacks and three forced fumbles for the Redskins during a 37-27 loss to the Eagles. 

• Mark Ingram II scored two touchdowns (one rushing and one receiving) and 86 total yards with the Ravens during their 42-21 victory over the Jets.

• In maybe his last game of the season, Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (shoulder) had 119 yards. 

• Bills defensive back Levi Wallace had the game-, and playoff-, clinching interception in the end zone for the Bills, while also making six tackles against the Steelers. 

• Cavaliers guard Collin Sexton scored 28 points against the Spurs. 

Published
Christopher Walsh
CHRISTOPHER WALSH

Christopher Walsh is the founder and publisher of BamaCentral, which first published in 2018. He's covered the Crimson Tide since 2004, and is the author of 26 books including Decade of Dominance, 100 Things Crimson Tide Fans Should Know and Do Before They Die, Nick Saban vs. College Football, and Bama Dynasty: The Crimson Tide's Road to College Football Immortality. He's an eight-time honoree of Football Writers Association of America awards and three-time winner of the Herby Kirby Memorial Award, the Alabama Sports Writers Association’s highest writing honor for story of the year. In 2022, he was named one of the 50 Legends of the ASWA. Previous beats include the Green Bay Packers, Arizona Cardinals and Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with Major League Baseball’s Arizona Diamondbacks. Originally from Minnesota and a graduate of the University of New Hampshire, he currently resides in Tuscaloosa.

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