Your Week 16 Spartans in the NFL Report....

Redskins rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins turned in a stellar performance for the second consecutive week, leading Washington to a 38-21 victory over the Browns.

Redskins rookie quarterback Kirk Cousins turned in a stellar performance for the second consecutive week, leading Washington to a 38-21 victory over the Browns. Starting in place of the injured Robert Griffin III, Cousins overcame an early interception to complete 26 of 37 passes for 329 yards, two touchdowns and a 104.4 QB rating. Cousins made a number of great throws, including a beautiful 54-yard touchdown strike late in the 1st quarter. Cousins also contributed to Washington’s ground game, rushing five times for 22 yards.

“I’m just trying to help this team win and get to the playoffs,” Cousins told Mike Maske of the Washington Post after the game. “And fortunately, we took a step forward today.” Though the former MSU star had butterflies early on, he became more confident as the game wore on. “I thought he stepped up and just got more comfortable as the game went on,” Washington head coach Mike Shanahan added. Rookie running back Alfred Morris, who has over 1,300 rushing yards on the year, expressed his belief in Cousins. “I had all the faith in the world in Kirk. I never doubted him at all. Kudos to him,” Morris said. “He did one heck of a job of going out there and playing and helping us get this win.” Make sure to check out the full story on Cousins’ memorable day: http://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/kirk-cousins-delivers-again-this-time-as-the-starter/2012/12/16/15c8c70a-47de-11e2-8af9-9b50cb4605a7_story.html

Jerel Worthy took full advantage of his opportunity to start at defensive end for the Packers, helping his team seal a 21-13 triumph over the Bears and the NFC North division crown. The rookie racked up a tackle, two assists, half of a sack and a forced fumble in the game. Chicago tight end Kellen Davis started, but did not record any stats.

With the Dolphins offense rolling on all cylinders, Brandon Fields only had to punt once in a 24-3 rout of the Jaguars. Fields’ lone kick, a booming 63-yarder, pinned Jacksonville inside its own six yard line. (Fields currently is the top vote-getter for the 2013 Pro Bowl at punter in the AFC with 75,304 votes.) Against Miami, Jacksonville linebacker Greg Jones saw some playing time, but did not record any stats.

Brian Hoyer, recently signed by the Cardinals to help cure the team’s woes at quarterback, was not active for Arizona’s 38-10 win over the Lions. Hoyer’s learning curve in Arizona has been reduced, thanks in part to Todd Haley and Ken Whisenhunt. After spending three weeks in Pittsburgh with former Cardinals coach Todd Haley, Hoyer is picking up on the similarities between the two teams. Whisenhunt, Arizona’s head coach and former Pittsburgh assistant, said of Hoyer: “He’s got to learn the offense. He does at least have some familiarity with it, but we’ll get a chance to see what he looks like on the practice field and see what he can handle.” ESPN analyst Ron Jaworski stated his confidence last week in the fourth-year player. “I liked Brian when he was coming out [of the draft],” Jaworski told Arizona Sports. “I thought what I saw of him on tape in New England, you know he had extensive preseason work, very limited regular season work, but I thought he had a shot to be an NFL quarterback.”

The Spartan-Bengal duo of Domata Peko and Kyle Cook helped Cincinnati dominate the Eagles, 34-13. Peko, starting at defensive tackle, notched a tackle and a forced fumble, while Cook shared time with Trevor Robinson at center.

Former Spartan playmaker Keshawn Martin and the Texans defeated Andrew Luck and the Colts, 29-17. Martin returned one kickoff for 18 yards and two punts for 12 yards, while Indianapolis backup quarterback Drew Stanton was not active for the contest.

Kevin Vickerson was part of a fierce Denver defense that held the Ravens offense at bay in a 34-17 victory over Baltimore. Vickerson started at defensive tackle for the Broncos and had one quarterback hit.

Wide receiver Plaxico Burress of the Steelers was not active for Pittsburgh’s heartbreaking 27-24 overtime loss to the Cowboys.

The 49ers earned an impressive 41-34 triumph over the Patriots after San Francisco jumped out to a 31-3 lead. Garrett Celek saw some playing time for the 49ers, but did not have any stats, while teammate and safety Trenton Robinson was not active for the Sunday night showdown.

Eric Smith had one tackle at safety for New York on Monday Night Football, as the Jets fell to the Titans, 14-10, eliminating the Jets from playoff contention.

Author’s Note: I would like to apologize to Spartan Nation for failing to mention that rookie quarterback Nick Foles of the Eagles is a former Spartan, though he transferred to Arizona before graduating. From this point on, I will make sure to provide updates on Foles each week in this article.

This week, Foles and the Eagles fell to the Bengals, 34-13. The first-year quarterback completed 16 of 33 attempts for 182 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Foles also rushed twice for five yards on the day.