For the second week in a row, a tight end from the New England Patriots is taking home Rookie of the Week honors. While last week's winner was Rob Gronkowski, this time around it's Aaron Hernandez, whose two touchdown performance helped push the Patriots past the Green Bay Packers.
It's been a big year for Patriots rookies. The aforementioned tight ends have combined for 950 yards and 13 touchdowns, while first round pick Devin McCourty is looking like a lockdown cornerback and ranks second in the league with six interceptions. Not to mention the solid contributions of Brandon Spikes, Jermaine Cunningham, and even rookie punter Zoltan Mesko.
Arguably, the Pats should really have another Rookie of the Week from back in week 10, when Tim Tebow's two touchdowns hid the fact that he gained a total of five yards in his game compared to Rob Gronkowski's 72 yards and three touchdowns against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
It's impressive rookies like these that are going to keep the Patriots relevant for many years to come. And the influx of young talent doesn't look to be stopping any time soon thanks to the pile of draft picks Bill Belichick has waiting in the next draft.