theScore's NFL monthly awards: Top players, teams, storylines, and more

theScore's NFL monthly awards series continues as we recap the best events and moments from around the league in October between Weeks 5-8.

Player of the month

Tyreek Hill, WR, Dolphins

It was a two-man race between Hill and A.J. Brown. The Eagles star extended his streak of consecutive games with 125-plus receiving yards this past month en route to becoming the first player in NFL history to top that mark in six straight contests. Brown has been the best player on an Eagles team that owns the NFL's best record. But Hill also joined the record books and actually had more catches (33-31), receiving yards (544-525), and touchdown catches (4-3) than Brown in the last four weeks. He's the main player in football's best offense. Hill's spectacular month also helped him become the first player in the Super Bowl era to reach the 1,000-yard receiving mark in a season's first eight games. It feels like it's just a matter of when, not if, he'll break Calvin Johnson's single-season record (1,964) and top 2,000 yards.

Team of the month

Jets

New York doesn't play convincing football, and the team just edged the Giants in possibly the ugliest game you'll see all season. That said, the Jets are on a three-game winning streak that includes a victory over the Eagles in what's still Philadelphia's only loss this season. Led by a stifling defense, Robert Saleh's outfit is 4-3 despite losing Aaron Rodgers to injury in Week 1 and starting the campaign 1-3. It's hard to imagine the Jets making the playoffs with Zach Wilson at quarterback, but nobody really thought this team would be above .500 at this point. Rodgers continues to tease a potential postseason return. Whether you believe that or not, the last few weeks showed we shouldn't overlook N.Y.

Elsa / Getty Images Sport / GettyRookie of the month

Jordan Addison, WR, Vikings

Addison showed why he was a first-round pick after Justin Jefferson went down with an injury. The rookie has scored at least a touchdown in the last four games to help the Vikings post a 4-4 record after they started 0-3. The 21-year-old's five TD grabs since Week 5 lead the whole league. He's also racked up 23 catches and 297 yards in that span. It won't be easy for him to keep his momentum now that injured quarterback Kirk Cousins is out for the season, but the early results of Addison's young career show that Minnesota found another special pass-catcher.

Coach of the month

Nick Sirianni, Eagles

Philly had a relatively slow start, but Sirianni helped the reigning NFC champions handle their Super Bowl hangover nicely. The Eagles have posted an NFL-best 7-1 record despite losing both of their coordinators in the offseason. Sirianni has been as aggressive as any other coach on fourth down, and he's helped make short-yardage situations virtually automatic for Philadelphia thanks to the team's unstoppable "tush push." The Sirianni-coached Eagles have been able to find ways to win even when they don't play at their best, and that's been on full display over the last few weeks.

Under-the-radar player of the month

Rashid Shaheed, WR, Saints

New Orleans has lacked consistency with Derek Carr at quarterback, but things would've been worse if it weren't for Shaheed. He's caught 23 passes for 479 yards and a league-leading 20.8 yards per reception as one of football's premier deep threats. The 25-year-old, who's also hauled in a team-high three TDs, had a 3-153-1 game in Week 8. Between Weeks 5-8, only Tyreek Hill had more catches of 20-plus yards than Shaheed's six. The Saints pass-catcher's three contested catches on deep passes in that span are also tied for the most with Brown. Oh, and Shaheed leads the league with 16.2 yards per punt return.

Dylan Buell / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Who is Shaheed? He joined New Orleans in 2022 as an undrafted free agent after an impressive career at Weber State. A special teams specialist with the Wildcats, he was a four-time All-American kick returner. Shaheed didn't make his Saints debut until Week 6 in 2022 when he had a 44-yard rushing touchdown on his first career touch. He then recorded a 53-yard score on his first catch a week later en route to earning more snaps. We should've known what was coming.

All-NFL team of the monthFacts you should know

How good is Miami? Mike McDaniel's outfit has stolen headlines thanks to its unstoppable offense. Miami boasts the league's most efficient offensive unit, and it's not really close. But how concerning is the fact that the 6-2 Dolphins lost the hardest games in what's otherwise been a relatively easy schedule? Miami was outscored by Buffalo and Philly 79-37 combined. Those were the only opponents the team has played that have a winning record after Week 8. The Dolphins are an undeniably good club that just got better defensively with Jalen Ramsey's return. But they haven't played great against other contenders. Before we hit the panic button, though, let's see how Miami performs in a Week 9 blockbuster versus Kansas City.

Better than expected. The Bears might end up being where we thought the Cardinals would be after Arizona acquired Houston's first-round pick next year. Chicago also has an extra 2024 first-rounder thanks to the trade that sent the 2023 first overall pick to the Panthers last year. Not only did the Bears land top receiver D.J. Moore in that deal, but the Bears should also receive a great Round 1 choice as Carolina is mostly struggling with rookie quarterback Bryce Young. The Panthers are now 1-6 and the Bears are 2-6, so don't be surprised if Chicago picks 1-2, or twice in the top three, in 2024. The 1992 Colts are the only team since the merger to draft No. 1 and No. 2 overall.

Finally. The Broncos defeated the Chiefs in Week 8 to end a 16-game losing streak versus their divisional rivals. Here are some crazy facts about Denver's previous win over K.C. in Week 2 of the 2015 season:

• 2,965 days passed between that game and Denver's Week 8 triumph;
• During that time, the Broncos had 12 different starting QBs and six head coaches;
• Peyton Manning (DEN) and Alex Smith (KC) were the two starters in 2015;
• Jamaal Charles and Marcus Peters scored the Chiefs' first two TDs in that contest;
• Two players featured in that game have already been inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame: Manning and DeMarcus Ware;
• Patrick Mahomes had just started his second season at Texas Tech;
• Entering this season's Week 8, Denver had won the Super Bowl more recently (February 2016) than its last win over Kansas City.

Stat of the month

Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland had another pick-6 in Week 8 and has now scored three touchdowns this campaign, easily the most among defenders. Bland has scored more TDs so far this season than Austin Ekeler, Cooper Kupp, Deebo Samuel, DK Metcalf, Brandon Aiyuk, Calvin Ridley, and Tee Higgins, among others.

Best play

With the Seahawks needing their new receivers to step up in Week 7 with an injured Metcalf sidelined, rookie Jake Bobo made one of the year's best catches. The undrafted wideout out of UCLA used just one hand to beat a smothering coverage while managing to sneak his feet inbounds to give Seattle the lead.

JAKE BOBO HAS JUST MADE THE MOST INSANE TOUCHDOWN CATCH YOU'LL SEE TODAY!

FOX pic.twitter.com/lZaGVNieAE

- Seattle Seahawks (@Seahawks) October 22, 2023

The WYD award

With the Giants up three points with 28 seconds left in the fourth quarter in Week 8, Brian Daboll opted to attempt a 35-yard field goal in the rain instead of going for it on fourth-and-1 at the Jets' 17-yard line. The Jets didn't have any timeouts left, but Daboll put Graham Gano on the field anyway. The kicker, who had already missed a 47-yarder in the game, didn't convert his last-minute attempt. The Jets then drove down the field to convert the game-tying field goal before winning it in overtime. Yes, the Giants' defense had a good game up until that point and shouldn't have let the Jets gain 58 yards in 24 seconds. Still, Daboll should've been more aggressive. Just give the ball to Saquon Barkley. By opting for the field-goal try, Daboll didn't look anything like that coach who went for two to win his Giants debut after scoring a last-minute TD in last season's Week 1.

Best tweet

In January, the Broncos landed Super Bowl-winning coach Sean Payton to replace current Jets offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett. Denver entered the 2023 season surrounded by high expectations, but things haven't gone according to plan. To make it worse, Payton broke a code among coaches in the offseason by strongly criticizing Hackett's previous job in Denver, creating a big rivalry with New York.

As expected, the Jets kept receipts and posted a hilarious tweet to troll Denver after getting revenge on the Payton-led Broncos with a Week 5 victory.

when you lose to the "offseason champs" pic.twitter.com/FzNIqGWZks

- New York Jets (@nyjets) October 8, 2023

Actor Kevin James played Payton in "Home Team," a 2022 Netflix movie that explores the head coach's time after receiving a season-long suspension for his involvement in the Bountygate scandal with the Saints in 2012.

Best quote

It's been seven f-----g years of the same shit.

Commanders defensive lineman Jonathan Allen went off after a 14-7 loss to the Giants in Week 7. Washington - which has played only one playoff game since Allen entered the NFL as a first-round pick in 2017 - dropped to 3-4 with the defeat to New York despite starting the 2023 season 2-0.

Bonus: Best in-season trade

Let's add a special section to this article given that the trade deadline just passed. My favorite move was the 49ers landing Chase Young from the Commanders for a compensatory third-round pick. Young - the No. 2 pick in 2020 - adds talent and upside to a San Francisco team that needs a spark amid a three-game skid. The Niners also just saw the NFC West-leading Seahawks acquire a new defensive starter in Leonard Williams. With six tackles for loss and five sacks in 2023 after injury-plagued campaigns, the 24-year-old Young is having his best NFL season since his rookie year. Even if Young ends up being just a rental due to San Francisco's salary-cap situation, the deal makes sense for the 49ers, who continue to go all-in.

Meanwhile, Washington added valuable draft capital. Moving Young and lineman Montez Sweat on the same day is a big hit to a Commanders defensive front that's been solid for years, but that's how the team's new ownership group will operate. Overall, netting second- and third-round choices for Young and Sweat isn't bad. The biggest seller at this year's trade deadline, Washington now has five picks in the first two days of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Most surprising upset

The Browns have been playing without running back Nick Chubb since Week 3 and didn't have quarterback Deshaun Watson and All-Pro guard Joel Bitonio for their Week 6 matchup versus the then-undefeated 49ers. Easy win for San Francisco against P.J. Walker, right? Thanks to a dominant defense and a missed Niners field goal in the dying seconds, Cleveland earned a tough 19-17 home victory as a 9.5-point underdog - the team's largest upset win since 2010 and first double-digit comeback victory under coach Kevin Stefanski. The result also ended the 49ers' 15-game regular-season winning streak and marked quarterback Brock Purdy's first loss in the regular season.

Juiciest storyline

Who's next?

Josh McDaniels became the first NFL head coach fired this season. Three sideline bosses were dismissed during the 2022 campaign - Matt Rhule, Frank Reich, and Nathaniel Hackett - meaning other teams could follow the Raiders in getting rid of their head coaches soon. Here are other names with the hottest seats in the league:

Scott Taetsch / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Ron Rivera, Commanders. Washington has gone 1-5 since starting the season 2-0, and another losing season under Rivera seems more likely than not. The 61-year-old, who's yet to post a winning campaign since joining, is 25-32-1 in three-plus seasons with the club. With a new ownership group in charge of the Commanders, Rivera's days in Washington could be numbered. Thermometer: (out of five)

Brandon Staley, Chargers. The Chargers probably won't make a decision about Staley's future until after the season, as they're expected to remain in playoff contention thanks to Justin Herbert. But L.A.'s 3-4 record leaves the 40-year-old with no margin for error, and a third straight disappointing season outcome would likely cost his job. Los Angeles' defense - Staley's area of expertise - ranks in the bottom five in EPA per play since he took over in 2021. Thermometer:

Matt Eberflus, Bears. For the second straight year, Chicago is one of football's worst teams. Eberflus has also been the club's defensive coordinator since September, and the Bears rank 30th in EPA per play allowed. Granted, the team lacks individual talent, but Eberflus' outfit has shown almost no improvement each week. The Bears' lack of urgency makes an Eberflus in-season firing unlikely, though. Thermometer:

Quinn Harris / Getty Images Sport / Getty

Frank Reich, Panthers. Reich losing his job during Year 1 in Carolina is unlikely, but there isn't much to like about what he's done. He's even already given up his offensive play-calling duties. The Panthers are 1-6 and have seen an unimpressive rookie season from No. 1 pick Bryce Young under Reich, a former QB who was supposed to make Young's NFL transition smoother. Thermometer:

Dennis Allen, Saints. Allen is 19-42 as a head coach in his career, including his 11-14 record in just over a season with the Saints, who had their first losing campaign since 2016 last year. New Orleans is 4-4 in 2023 and, though its defense remains solid under Allen, the team hasn't been able to win consistently despite playing in a bad division and having enough individual talent on both sides of the ball. Don't be surprised if the Saints make big changes if they fail to make the playoffs again. Thermometer:

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