This weekend was filled with a lot of action and even a record-breaking performance. Here are the studs and duds of the weekend in the NFL.

Studs

QB Drew Brees, New Orleans Saints — Brees struggled early in the season but shifted into high gear in the last few weeks. On Sunday Brees completed 35 of 49 passes for 445 yards and three touchdowns. He got the Saints’ offense back in top form as it was last year, and more impressively, he did it against a tough Jacksonville defense. Maybe New Orleans has a chance to win the NFC South division now.

WR Lee Evans, Buffalo Bills — Everyone who held on to Evans and waited patiently benefited in the last two weeks. On Sunday Evans had nine catches for 165 yards and one touchdown. The Bills earned the victory against a hapless Bengals team with no defense. Maybe, though, this was just what the Bills needed to kick-start their offense.

RB Adrian Peterson, Minnesota Vikings — This one was obvious. Peterson was the best player of the weekend. He set the record for most rushing yards in a game. Peterson had 30 carries for 296 yards and three touchdowns. Can the NFL just give him the Rookie of the Year award right now?

TE Kellen Winslow, Cleveland Browns — Everyone who thought Winslow would eventually be one of the top tight ends in the league can take a moment to revel in their great prediction right now. Winslow has had a solid season so far. He added to that strong season Sunday against Seattle. Winslow had 11 catches for 125 yards. The Browns continued to surprise on offense Sunday, and Winslow was a big part of it.

Detroit defense — The Lions were near the bottom of the NFL in both pass and rush defense entering Sunday’s contest with the Broncos. But an injury to Jay Cutler and key turnovers helped the Lions shut down the Bronco offense. The Lions allowed only 47 rushing yards and seven points in the game. It’s hard to believe the Lions have six wins in the season already, but if they continue playing like this, they may be playing in the postseason.

K Mason Crosby, Green Bay Packers — Crosby has proven to be a steal from last spring’s NFL Draft. On Sunday, Crosby made four of five field goals and all three extra points he attempted. The only field goal he missed was a 52-yarder. In just his first season in the league, Crosby has proved he has one of the strongest legs in the NFL.

Duds

QB Alex Smith, San Francisco 49ers — The 49ers looked to have a breakout season this year, but the season has turned out a little disappointing. The offense added Darrell Jackson, Vernon Davis returned after an injury and Frank Gore came off a breakout season. But the 49ers have struggled mightily this season. Smith has been a big part of that. On Sunday, Smith completed only 17 of 38 passes for 149 passing yards and three interceptions. Smith and his progression are key to the 49ers’ offense.

WR Steve Smith, Carolina Panthers — How did an average Tennessee defense hold Smith to only three catches for only 15 yards? I blame David Carr for most of Carolina’s problem. Carr has struggled managing the Carolina offense, and Smith has suffered from the inconsistent play and rotation of the Carolina quarterbacks. If the offense can ever find a rhythm, Smith will be a big factor.

RB Rudi Johnson, Cincinnati Bengals — Johnson returned from an injury this week but he might have been better off sitting on the bench. Johnson faced a porous Buffalo defense and still couldn’t get anything going. Johnson had a mere nine carries for 11 yards. His back-up Kenny Watson didn’t fare much better, with only four carries for 11 yards. Cincinnati has been a disappointment this season. If the Bengals want to turn it around, they will need to rely on the normally steady legs of Johnson.

TE Antonio Gates, San Diego Chargers — I really didn’t think Gates would ever land on the list of worst performances from the weekend. Gates and the Chargers faced a terrible Vikings passing defense, but the Chargers offense couldn’t get anything going through the air. Gates had only one catch for ten yards. The Chargers were flat out embarrassed by the Vikings. They’ll need more consistent play from all of their offense to win in the wide-open AFC West division.

Jacksonville defense — Jacksonville had a pretty good pass defense and an average rush defense entering the game against New Orleans on Sunday, but the Jaguars were just dismantled by the Saints’ offense. Drew Brees threw for more than 400 yards, Marques Colston had more than 100 receiving yards and Reggie Bush had 115 total yards and two touchdowns. The Jaguars could not stop anybody on Sunday. They will need to improve the defense if they want to contend in the AFC South division.

K Jason Elam, Denver Broncos — Elam is one of the more consistent kickers in the league, but he missed his only field goal attempt against Detroit on Sunday and made only one extra point. The Bronco offense struggled all day, limiting Elam’s impact on the game. But he can still be a big weapon in that Denver offense.

— Edited by Luke Morris