Sunday’s five most valuable players, Week 7

[admin]

Darrelle Revis, Cornerback, New York Jets. Not only did Vincent Jackson get trapped on Revis Island, but the smoke monster there treated him like he was Mr. Eko. Jackson had just 15 yards and one catch on the day, and he's one of the toughest covers in the league. Revis is extraordinary. Not only did he lock Jackson up, but he allowed the Jets to spend a lot of time doubling Malcom Floyd on the other side. He's the key to everything the Jets do on defense.

Christian Ponder, Quarterback, Minnesota Vikings. Even when Donovan McNabb was at his worst and his passes were nearly indistinguishable from celebratory end zone spikes, I gave Leslie Frazier the benefit of the doubt. Word on the street (okay, Twitter) was that Christian Ponder was just nowhere near ready to play in an NFL game. If that's the case, whenever he is ready to play in an NFL game, he's going to be a beast. Ponder makes plays. His numbers on the day weren't good, but there were all kinds of flashes of potential. He's athletic, he's accurate, he's got good instincts, and he moves the chains. The Vikings have no business being in a competitive game against the Packers, but there they were. I'm excited about Christian Ponder.

[Related: NFL Winners/losers: Tebow's late mastery covers up early errors]

DeMarco Murray, Running Back, Dallas Cowboys. Twenty-five carries, 253 yards, and hundreds of thousands of fantasy owners who hate Felix Jones for never, ever coming close to this. In terms of yardage, it's the ninth-best game anyone's ever had, just ahead of Spec Sanders' 250-yard game for the Yankees against the Chicago Rockets back in '47. The remaining living members of that '47 Rockets team would be favored over the Rams by 14.

Plaxico Burress, Wide Receiver, New York Jets. The old Plaxico came out to play on Sunday, as he scored three touchdowns and proved to be a tremendous pain to cover in the red zone. He only had four catches on the day, but three of them were in the paint. That's what the Jets are paying him for -- to go up and get the ball in the end zone.

[Y! Sports Shop: Support your NFL team]

Dez Bryant, Wide Receiver, Dallas Cowboys. I saw two kinds of really good plays from Bryant on Sunday; one expected, and the other, maybe not so much. The first type: plays that require spectacular talent (and not-so-great coverage),*like this one. There were also hustle plays, like when he absorbed the contact and fought for extra yards here, and watch him hustle downfield here in case DeMarco Murray needed an extra block. Good signs for maturation of Dez Bryant.

Other popular stories on Yahoo! Sports:
• High school team pays tribute to paralyzed teammate
• Luke Donald's incredible back nine nabs tourney and money titles
• Postgame Haka dancers pepper-sprayed by police in Utah