Tag: AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Dolphins K Jason Sanders named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

He’s the sixth Dolphin to be awarded Player of the Week this season.

The Miami Dolphins earned their 11th win of the season on Sunday, as they downed the Dallas Cowboys 22-20 at Hard Rock Stadium, and they wouldn’t have been able to do so without the impressive performance by kicker Jason Sanders.

In the contest, Sanders nailed all five of his field-goal attempts, including three from beyond 50 yards as well as the game-winner as time expired.

For his efforts, Sanders was awarded AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

This is the fifth time in Sanders’ career, and the first time since 2020, that he’s received this award. Incredibly, he’s the sixth Dolphins to win Player of the Week this year, following Tua Tagovailoa, De’Von Achane, Raheem Mostert, Jalen Ramsey and Bradley Chubb.

There have been many questions about Sanders’ ability in recent years, but he showed up on Sunday and helped Miami secure their signature win to this point in their 2023 campaign.

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Chargers WR Derius Davis named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

The Chargers have the longest punt return touchdown in the NFL.

Chargers wide receiver Derius Davis was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday following a stellar performance against the Jets. 

The highlight of the rookie’s primetime outing was an 87-yard punt return touchdown, the first of his career. It was the longest punt return by any player in the NFL this season and the longest punt return by any rookie since 2017. 

The former TCU product led the league in Week 9 with 104 punt return yards and his 16.6-yard average on punt returns leads the league. Ranking second in the NFL are his 232 punt return yards.

Davis is the first Chargers rookie returner to receive the accolade since 2000 and is the first returner to win the award since 2018. The fourth-round pick continued to make history as his punt return touchdown ranked as the fifth-longest punt return in franchise history. 

Browns: K Dustin Hopkins wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Dustin Hopkins takes the crown this week!

Not only did the Cleveland Browns come out on top in their Week 6 game against the previously undefeated San Francisco 49ers, but they have a player taking home a weekly award as well. Kicker Dustin Hopkins has won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his efforts against the Niners.

On the day, Hopkins went four-of-five on field goals, including a 50-yarder and a kick to put the Browns in front down the stretch of the fourth quarter. He went one-of-one on extra points as well, racking up a total of 13 points on the day for the Browns.

Hopkins becomes the second Browns player to win the award in two seasons, as wide receiver Donovan Peoples-Jones won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week against the Houston Texans a year ago. He returned a punt for a touchdown in that game to win the honor.

After the struggles of Cade York last year and through the preseason, the steadiness of Hopkins is a breath of fresh air in Cleveland.

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Jaguars’ Brandon McManus named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Brandon McManus earned AFC player of the week honors for the fourth time in his career.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus is the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after nailing three field goals at Wembley Stadium to help his team to a 23-7 win against the Atlanta Falcons.

McManus, who was signed by the Jaguars in the offseason after nine years with the Denver Broncos, hit field goals from 56, 43, and 38 yards, as well as a pair of extra points against the Falcons. His 56-yarder was the longest for any kicker in the conference in Week 4.

It’s the fourth time McManus has earned the honor in his career. He also joins Mike Hollis, Josh Scobee, Josh Lambo, Matthew Wright, and Riley Patterson as Jaguars kickers to be the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

The win in London was a great day for Jaguars special teams as a whole. Logan Cooke was about as perfect as the team could’ve hoped from its punter.

The bounce-back performance came a week after the Jaguars special teams unit had one of its worst days ever against the Houston Texans. McManus missed an early field goal and had another blocked. Jacksonville also allowed Texans fullback Andrew Beck to return a kickoff for a touchdown.

McManus is the first Jaguars player to earn conference player of the week honors in 2023.

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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.

Ravens DL Calais Campbell named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 15

Ravens defensive lineman Calais Campbell was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 15

The Baltimore Ravens beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 16-14 on Sunday in Week 15 at Acrisure Stadium, formerly known as Heinz Field.  In the win, one special teams play had a major impact on the outcome of the game, as Baltimore defensive lineman Calais Campbell blocked a field goal in the fourth quarter of the contest.

Since Baltimore would end up winning by the final score of 16-14, Campbell’s blocked field goal was essentially the difference in the contest, saving three points in a two-point win. To honor his performance, Campbell was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 15, his first-ever time winning the award.

Campbell returned to the Ravens on a two-year deal this past offseason, and it’s showing that he might be able to play a few more season if he so chooses with his production he’s had so far. He has been a high impact player for the majority of his NFL career, and has been a key cog on Baltimore’s 2022 defensive unit.

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Donovan Peoples-Jones named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Donovan Peoples-Jones has been rewarded for his punt return touchdown against the Texans

The Cleveland Browns have their first Player of the Week award winner of 2022. After taking a punt 76 yards to the house against the Houston Texans, Donovan Peoples-Jones has been awarded the honors AFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the NFL.

Peoples-Jones has shown brilliance over the past two weeks since resuming his punt returning roles, and his touchdown against the Texans was nothing short of special for the third-year wide receiver. He has excelled at whatever the Browns have asked him to do this year, and will likely see a big bump in his pay this summer as a result.

This may just be the beginning for the former sixth round pick out of Michigan.

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Chargers’ Cameron Dicker named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

A second Chargers kicker has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

A second Chargers kicker has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

After Dustin Hopkins was bestowed the honor following his gutsy four-field goal performance on Monday Night Football against the Broncos, rookie replacement Cameron Dicker was named to the award for his Week 9 heroics against the Falcons.

Signed on Thursday last week, Dicker had to step in to replace both Hopkins, who remains out with the hamstring injury he suffered in the Denver game, and original replacement Taylor Bertolet, who tweaked his quad in practice leading up to the matchup with Atlanta. That gave Dicker two days of practice to prepare.

He hit both extra points and field goal attempts, a 31-yarder to tie the game and a 37-yarder to secure a victory over the Falcons. It’s Dicker’s second game-winner this season after drilling one for the Eagles in Week 5 to lift them over the Cardinals with an identical score – 20-17.

The game-winner on Sunday lifted the Chargers to 5-3. While they’ll hope that Hopkins is healthy enough to play against the 49ers, Dicker’s availability should give the team the peace of mind to let the veteran’s injury heal fully before returning.

Broncos punter Corliss Waitman named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Corliss Waitman played a key role in the Broncos’ win over the 49ers in Week 3.

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Denver Broncos punter Corliss Waitman was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week on Wednesday, the NFL announced.

Waitman, 27, punted 10 times for 476 yards in an 11-10 win over the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football in Week 3. In a game in which field position was crucial, Waitman had a franchise-record six punts downed inside the 20-yard line and two punts downed inside the five-yard line. He also had no touchbacks.

After one of Waitman’s punts pinned the 49ers deep in their own territory, Denver’s defense forced a safety that gave the Broncos two points. That safety ultimately decided the game as Denver went on to win by one point.

So while punting isn’t a flashy job, one could make an argument that Waitman’s leg won the game for the Broncos in Week 3. At the very least, he was a key part of the victory, and the NFL has now recognized that by naming him one of the conference players of the week.

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Browns kicker Cade York wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award

After lifting the Browns to a win in their first tilt of 2022, York was selected as the AFC special teams player of the week.

After nailing a 58-yard game-winning field goal to give the Cleveland Browns their first win of the 2022 season, kicker Cade York was named the AFC’s special teams player of the week. His inspiring performance turned heads around the NFL, and his contributions clearly warranted formal recognition.

In addition to the game-winner, York went four-for-four on three-point tries and was perfect on his two-point after attempts. He accounted for more than half of the Browns’ scoring total in the 26-24 win and played a key factor in getting Cleveland off to a hot start in their latest campaign.

As a rookie, York is the fifth first-year player to win the award since the honor’s inception. He joins former Browns punter Jamie Gillan and legendary kicker Morten Anderson as the only members of the franchise to be granted the honor.

York played his college ball at Louisiana State University, steadying the Tigers’ program through all the ups and downs they saw from 2019 through last season. He was a key part of LSU’s national championship as a freshman, was named to the All-SEC second team that year as well as in 2021, and was on the All-SEC freshman team. After a stellar 2020 season, he was selected as a second-team All-American, and to the All-SEC first team, marking the most decorated year of his collegiate career.

When the Browns selected York in the fourth round of April’s draft, they couldn’t have known that the modest investment would pay such hefty dividends so soon. His impressive performance in Week 1 will set him up for a prolific season as Cleveland’s go-to leg in 2022, and with 16 more games on the Browns’ arduous schedule, the team will need all the help York can give them.

Steady improvement would usually be necessary for a young player of York’s caliber to become a consistent starter, but in this case, he will just need to maintain and prove that this outstanding showing wasn’t a fluke.

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