The Meast is not awarded based upon scientific reasoning or common sense.  It’s two parts groupthink, one part laziness, and a dash of homerism.  And that’s the way we like it.

Nonetheless, there were some remarkably measty performances this week, and I think it’s only fair to recognize the runners-up.

- Antonio Bryant: 9 catches, 200 yards, 2 TDs, and the sickest one-handed Velcro catch of the year.

- Roddy White: 10 catches for 164 yards in a tough loss. This was Drew’s vote, and White falls into the category of players whose season-long meastiness we’ll have to honor at the end of the year (see also: Boldin, Anquan).
- DeAngelo Williams, Jonathan Stewart, and the entire Carolina offensive line: You just don’t get to see ass-raping like that very often. Unless you’re a Lions fan. Or you work for Nick Denton.
- Brian Westbrook: 39 touches, 131 yards rushing, 72 yards receiving, two touchdowns. With a bum knee and ankle. Against the Giants.
- Matt Schaub: 414 yards passing and two TDs in his first game back from the knee injury. Not bad.

However, this week’s award goes to Ed Reed for his role in the Ravens’ 24-10 domination of the Redskins: two interceptions, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery return for a TD — just two weeks after he had two picks and a record-tying return TD against the Eagles.

It’s obviously not a popular pick with our own Christmas Ape, who’s eagerly anticipating this Sunday’s Baltimore-Pittsburgh showdown for superiority in the AFC North.  Ape adds his unique brand of hatred for Baltimore with an impressive Steelers homerism, calling the Ravens D “statistically inferior in every way to the Steelers D.”  Just as long as that statistic isn’t a highly respected metric like DVOA.

Anyhoo, the point is: nice job, Ed Reed.  Even though we hate your team, you’ve got some badass measts on that defense. And it’s your award to keep until — as Ape will point out — Hines Ward cold-cocks you with a brindside brock.

This week, we’re holding the second annual KsK Kares Kharity Drive for Fisher House, which helps build temp housing for disabled veterans and their families. You can donate directly to FH here.