NEW YORK, Nov. 29 (UPI) -- Oakland Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon and New York Jets end John Abraham on Thursday were named the AFC Offensive and Defensive Players of the Month for November. Denver Broncos kicker Jason Elam captured the special teams honor.
Similar honors in the NFC went to San Francisco 49ers quarterback Jeff Garcia and Arizona Cardinals, on offense and defense, respectively, and to Chicago Bears punter Brad Maynard for special teams.
Gannon completed 87-of-120 passes for 1,031 yards with 12 touchdowns and one interception for the Raiders, who went 3-1 in November. At 8-2, the Raiders are tied with Pittsburgh, Chicago, St. Louis and San Francisco for the NFL's best record.
Abraham, who got off to a slow start this season, turned things around in November by collecting an NFL-best 6 1/2 sacks as the Jets went 3-0 on the month. In his second season, Abraham has 14 1/2 sacks in his first 16 career games, tying Tennessee's Jevon Kearse for the most sacks by any player in his first 16 games.
Elam led all kickers with 38 points, including making 11-of-12 field goal attempts as the Broncos completed a 2-2 month.
Helping the 49ers to a 4-0 record during the month, Garcia completed 65.5 percent (95-of-145) of his passes for 1,032 yards with 12 touchdowns and five interceptions. In two of the wins, Garcia rallied his team from fourth-quarter deficits.
Behind Garcia, the 49ers (8-2) are tied with St. Louis, Chicago, Pittsburgh and Oakland for the NFL's best record.
In four games, Lassiter had four interceptions, 37 tackles, one sack and forced a fumble as the Cardinals posted a 2-2 record in the month. Lassiter had his best game against winless Detroit on November 18, collecting a pair of fourth-quarter interceptions in a 45-38 victory.
Maynard averaged 46.3 yards per punt, placing 10 punts inside the 20 with no touchbacks, helping the Bears to a 3-1 month.
