Rashaad Penny named NFC offensive player of the Week

When the final whistle blew at the end of the Seattle Seahawks 51-29 drubbing of the Detroit Lions in Week 17 at Lumen Field, Rashaad Penny had closed out what was, without question, the best game of his career. After battling injuries while being stuck behind the likes of Chris Carson, Mike Davis and Alex Collins earlier in his career, the last four games represent the best season of his career.

During that stretch he has shown flashes of not just the athleticism and ability to break tackles that he displayed in college, but has expanded his repertoire from excelling on gap runs to include a level of explosiveness on zone plays he had rarely displayed earlier in his career. His performance has been noted well outside the Pacific Northwest, and in particular for his Week 17 performance against the Lions was noticed in the league office as well.

The breakout for Penny is welcome news for Seattle fans, who obviously hope he can continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the future. However, with just one more game until he is slated to be an unrestricted free agent, the hope is that the young man from Los Angeles doesn’t decide to play for the team that just opened a new stadium in his old backyard.