Tag: afc player of the week

Texans K Ka’imi Fairbairn named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Ka’imi Fairbairn is so clutch that no one is shocked he won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following the Houston Texans’ win Sunday night.

Another week, another Houston Texans player garnering accolades from the NFL front office.

Texans kicker Ka’imi Fairbairn was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the NFL announced Wednesday morning.

Fairbairn earned the award following his record-setting performance on Sunday Night Football in the team’s 19-13 victory over the Chicago Bears.

“‘Imi’ got ice in his veins,” Texans Pro Bowl quarterback C.J. Stroud said Sunday. “Super happy and proud of him. He broke a record today or something like that. We definitely need him. All points are big points. I definitely think the preparation, just who he is at practice, you know that he’s going to knock it down just because of how hard he is on himself during practice.”

On the primetime stage, Fairbairn was the x-factor in helping Houston start the season 2-0 for the first time since 2016. He connected on all four of his field goal attempts ranging from 56, 47, 59 and 53 yards.

Fairbairn became the first kicker in NFL history with six 50-plus yard field goals within a two-game span. He was the only kicker in the NFL to make three field goals from beyond 50 yards in Week 2.

Additionally, he also became the first kicker in league annals to make three 50-yard field goals in multiple games throughout their career.

“He’s the reason why we’re standing here,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said of Fairbairn. “We talk a lot about offense, defense. But the kicking game is the reason why we won this game.”

Entering Week 3, Fairbairn is currently tied for first in field goal percentage and field goals made. He’s also tied for first in the AFC with 13 total points scored on the evening.

Among his performance, his 59-yard boot at the end of the first half stands as the longest field goal made this season and ranks second in franchise history.
“He’s just balling out, it ain’t nothing, he’s been doing that. Pressure on the line, he’s cashing it,” receiver Nico Collins said. “We know what he can do. He’s a playmaker too, so I love him.”

Earlier this offseason, Fairbairn became a priority signing for Houston after helping the franchise win its first division title in four years. After inking a three-year, $15.9 million contract deal with the Texans, he’s been worth every penny through two weeks.

The Texans travel to Minneapolis to take on the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday at noon CT.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

Austin Ekeler earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his exceptional performance against the Rams in Week 17.

Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has had an incredible 2022 season, and was named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Los Angeles Rams over the weekend.

Ekeler rushed for 122 yards and two touchdowns in the game, helping to lead the Chargers to a dominant 31-10 win over their intracity rivals.

While the impressive performance was certainly worthy of the honor, Ekeler has managed to fly under the radar of most fans outside of Los Angeles despite the outrageously productive season he has put together. His 18 touchdowns lead all non-quarterback players in the NFL by a wide margin, and the 1,500 total yards he has amassed over the course of the last 16 games has helped keep the Chargers competitive in the loaded AFC.

Now set to compete in the playoffs, Los Angeles will continue relying on Ekeler for a large portion of their offensive output in the coming weeks. With star quarterback Justin Herbert under center and Ekeler in the backfield, it seems that this 2022 Chargers squad has limitless potential, and they could make some noise in the postseason with more outstanding performances like the one the running back turned out in Week 17.

Jaguars’ Riley Patterson named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

For a third straight week, a Jaguars player earned AFC Player of the Week honors.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Riley Patterson is the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after scoring 13 points in a 19-3 win over the New York Jets.

Patterson made four field goals and an extra point in the win, although he did miss a 44-yard field goal just before halftime.

The Jaguars struggled to find a kicker in August and added Patterson after preseason when he was waived by the Detroit Lions. Patterson quickly won the starting job in Jacksonville and has been a relatively reliable player for the team.

Patterson has made 27 of his 32 field goal attempts and all but one of his 31 extra point tries. Patterson is eighth in the NFL this season in points scored with 111.

It’s the third straight week that the Jaguars were represented on the AFC Players of the Week. Two weeks ago, Trevor Lawrence earned the honor for the second time this season and last week Rayshawn Jenkins was recognized for his 18-tackle, two-interception day.

Last year, Jaguars kicker Matthew Wright won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after making three field goals, including 54- and 53-yarders to beat the Miami Dolphins.

Jose Uche nabs AFC Defensive Player of the Week after wrecking Cardinals

Patriots linebacker Josh Uche earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

The cream always rises to the top, and New England Patriots linebacker Josh Uche is rising.

He earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 14 for the demolition job he did against the Arizona Cardinals on Monday night. Following the game, three-time NFL Pro Bowler Matthew Judon referred to him as the Patriots’ best pass-rusher.

It’s proving to be more than just talk considering the third-year defensive player racked up five total tackles, three sacks and four quarterback hits in the 27-13 victory.

Opposing teams can no longer get away with simply putting all of their attention towards stopping Judon, if they don’t want to get crushed by Uche on the other side.

An argument could be made that Uche has been the best pass-rusher in the league over the last few weeks. He has recorded multiple-sack games in three of his last four outings.

Just in his last five games alone, he has compiled a total of 10 sacks. It’s an impressive run that’s showing no signs of slowing down. The Patriots hoped for a breakout year from Uche, and he’s showing it in the latter half of the season.

Better late than never, right?

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Marcus Jones earns AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after game-winning return vs Jets

Marcus Jones left no doubt with his game-winning punt return against the Jets.

This is the week of firsts for New England Patriots rookie defensive back Marcus Jones, who returned his first punt back for an NFL touchdown and earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

The coming-out-party for Jones couldn’t have come at a better time for the Patriots. They were locked in a defensive battle with the division rival New York Jets when he made magic happen with roughly 20 seconds left in the fourth quarter.

The score was tied at 3-3, and overtime looked inevitable until the former University of Houston standout slammed the door shut on the visiting Jets.

Jones’ electric return abilities was one of many reasons why the Patriots used a third-round pick on him in the 2022 NFL draft. Opposing teams will learn quickly that bad things can happen when kicking in his direction.

Coach Bill Belichick recently claimed that the player Jones was when he first arrived in New England and the player he is today are an “ocean apart.” And to think, it hasn’t even been a full season of development.

That ocean Jones plays in is bound to cause waves at some point.

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Texans QB Deshaun Watson wins AFC offensive player of the week after beating Patriots

Houston Texans QB Deshaun Watson has been named the AFC offensive player of the week for his efforts in helping defeat the New England Patriots.

Beat the New England Patriots on a national stage and it will leave little doubt anyone’s mind you played a game worthy of accolades.

Houston Texasn quarterback Deshaun Watson was named the AFC offensive player of the week for his 18-of-25 for 234 yards, three touchdowns, and 6-yard touchdown reception of his own as the Texans cruised to a 28-22 win over the Patriots.

For Watson, it is the third time in his career he has earned player of the week honors. The first time was in Week 4 of 2017, his rookie season, and Watson actually earned player of the week nods in Weeks 3 and 5 of 2019.

The Pro Bowler’s play in the win over New England was chock full of firsts and joined him in rare company. Watson joined Jim McMahon, a fellow Davey O’Brien Award winner, as the only quarterbacks to throw three-plus touchdowns and catch another in a game since 1966. Those four passing touchdowns against the Patriots are the most against New England this season.

Watson also became the first player to throw multiple touchdown passes against the Patriots this season, and his 140.7 passer rating was the highest against the Patriots since Alex Smith in Week 1 of 2017.

The former 2017 first-round pick from Clemson is now 6-2 in prime time games with a 121.1 passer rating. Watson notched his fifth game of three-plus touchdowns in 2019, which is tied for the most in the NFL. Watson is the third player in league history to have over 23 passing touchdowns and five rushing touchdowns while keeping his passer rating above 100.0 through the first 12 games of a season.

Watson is the first Texans player to win three player of the week honors in the same season, and he is the 47th Texans player to be named player of the week in club history and the fourth one total for 2019.