Tag: NFC Player of the Week

Commanders P Tress Way named NFC special teams player of the week

Tress Way wins yet another award.

On Wednesday, Washington Commanders punter Tress Way was named the NFC special teams player of the week for Week 9.

In Washington’s 20-17 win over the New England Patriots, Way punted five times, averaging 47.8 yards per punt, but most importantly, pinned New England inside its own 20-yard line four different times. His four punts inside the 20 were the most in the NFL in Week 9.

Commanders wide receiver Terry McLaurin mentioned Way’s importance to the win after Sunday’s game.

Per Washington PR, Way has moved into third place in NFC history for the number of times a punter has won this award. Also, Way and Matt Turk are the only two punters in franchise history to win multiple NFC special teams player of the week awards, and the pair are also the only two punters in team history to win at least one NFC special teams player of the month award.

Way, 33, has been Washington’s punter since 2014. He’s been named to the Pro Bowl twice and was a second-team All-Pro on one occasion.

Fred Warner named NFC Defensive Player of the Week after Week 5 performance vs. Cowboys

The 49ers LB earned his third-career Defensive Player of the Week after a red-hot performance against the Cowboys on Sunday Night Football.

While Brock Purdy tossed four touchdown passes against the Dallas Cowboys’ vaunted defense on Sunday Night Football, Fred Warner and the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive group shut down Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb and Mike McCarthy on offense.

On his way to a sizzling performance, Warner etched his name in the early Defensive Player of the Year conversation. Warner notched eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and an interception against the Cowboys.

Warner became the first player to record a sack, interception and a forced fumble in the same game since Navarro Bowman in 2013. Warner has notched three Defensive Player of the Week awards in his career with his last one coming in 2020.

Via @49ers on Twitter:

https://x.com/49ers/status/1712154211000209759?s=20

During the 2023 campaign, Warner has registered 41 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in five games.

This post originally appeared on Niners Wire! Follow us on Facebook and Twitter! 

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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.

Jalen Hurts wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week for performance vs. Packers

Shocker! Eagles QB Jalen Hurts wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week after running all over the Packers in Week 12.

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after running roughshod over the Green Bay Packers during Week 12 of the 2022 season.

Hurts completed 16 of 28 passes for 153 yards, two touchdowns and zero interceptions, and he rushed 17 times for a career-high and franchise-record 157 yards during the 40-33 win over the visiting Packers.

Hurts became just the fourth quarterback in the Super Bowl era to throw for at least 150 yards and rush for at least 150 yards, and he’s the second of the four to do it against the Packers, joining Colin Kaepernick.

Hurts’ 157 rushing yards are the sixth-most by a quarterback all-time. He had over 100 rushing yards by the end of the first quarter.

According to coach Matt LaFleur, the Packers missed at least 20 tackles during the performance,  and most came against either Hurts or running back Miles Sanders, who also rushed for over 100 yards.

Overall, the Packers gave up 500 total yards, and Hurts was responsible for 310.

The award is the first of Hurts’ career and the first time an Eagles player has won it since Nick Foles in 2018.

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Eagles CB Darius Slay named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his masterful performance against Justin Jefferson and the Vikings

The Eagles have award winners in back-to-back weeks, and Darius Slay has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his play against the Vikings on Monday night.

Slay recorded a career-high five passes defended along with two interceptions in Philadelphia’s Week 2 victory against Minnesota.

He became the first player since 2019 (Pierre Desir) to record five passes defended and two interceptions in a single game, and it’s the fifth time Slay has won the honor.

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Cowboys’ Dak Prescott named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Dak Prescott takes home NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after a four-touchdown performance against Washington in Week 16. | From @StarConscience

It was a dominant performance, to say the least, by the Dallas Cowboys in Week 16. They picked up their 11th win of the season and capped off a 4-0 month of December with a 56-14 shellacking of the Washington Football Team improving their record to 5-0 in the NFC East and 9-1 in the conference.

The Cowboys scored a touchdown on offense, defense, and special teams during the rout of their hated division rival. Although many key contributors stood out, quarterback Dak Prescott shined above them all. Not only was he named the Player of the Game but he received NFC Player of the Week honors on Wednesday.

Prescott and the Cowboys’ offense hadn’t been playing their best football in the weeks leading up to their win against Washington, and he took it upon himself to put in extra work with his receivers to remedy that. To say it was successful is an understatement as Prescott threw for 330 yards (322 in the first half) and four touchdowns while connecting with nine different receivers.

Prescott’s 131.4 passer rating was his second-highest of the season and it was the seventh time he completed over 70% of his passes.

Dallas is currently the No. 2 seed in the NFC playoff picture and still has a shot for the top spot with two games to go. If they are to attain a first-round bye, they’ll need Prescott to build off of this amazing performance.

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Matt Ryan wins NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Ryan’s 343-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Saints was good enough to secure the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award.

The Atlanta Falcons squandered an 18-point fourth-quarter lead against the New Orleans Saints in Week 9, but quarterback Matt Ryan got the ball back with a minute left and engineered a clutch drive to cap off a 27-25 Falcons win.

Ryan’s 343-yard, three-touchdown performance against the Saints was good enough to secure the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week award.

Sunday’s game may not seem like a big deal on the outside, but it gave the Falcons their fourth win — matching last season’s win total — and moved them into the seventh and final NFC playoff seed.

After a 1-3 start, Ryan’s consistent play has helped breathe life into this team, and nothing highlights this more than Ryan’s game-winning drive against Atlanta’s biggest rival. For the year, the former MVP QB has 2,157 passing yards, 15 touchdowns and six interceptions for a passer rating of 98.1.

This is Ryan’s tenth NFC Player of the Week award.

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Former Michigan State QB Kirk Cousins named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

Former Michigan State quarterback Kirk Cousins has earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors after his win over the Panthers.

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It’s always good to see a Spartan perform well at the pro level. This week, former Michigan State football quarterback Kirk Cousins earned NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors for his performance against the Carolina Panthers.

The Minnesota Vikings beat the Panthers 28-27 largely behind the superb performance of Cousins, who threw for 307 yards and 3 touchdowns on 34/45 passing and no interceptions. He also added 19 rushing yards on the ground, flashing some newfound mobility.

Cousins is keeping the Vikings’ playoff chances alive as the team is currently hanging around with a 5-6 record on the season. They currently have a 30% chance to make the playoffs.

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Falcons LB Foye Oluokun named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

The former sixth-round pick out of Yale did enough to take home NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Falcons linebacker Foye Oluokun hasn’t just been better than expected this season, he’s been one of the NFL’s best linebackers through the first nine weeks. Oluokun led the way for Atlanta during the team’s win over the Denver Broncos, finishing with 10 tackles (7 solo), four QB hits and a sack on Sunday.

The former sixth-round pick out of Yale did enough to take home NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Oluokun’s future is as bright as ever, showing consistent improvement each week as he adjusts to his first year as a starter. For the season, he leads the Falcons with 64 tackles (44 solo), while adding three forced fumbles, three passes defended and three tackles for a loss.

Watch below as Oluokun blitzes and brings down Denver QB Drew Lock for a sack during Sunday’s win.

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Falcons QB Matt Ryan named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

The Atlanta Falcons played a complete game in Week 6 and as a result, came away with their first win of the season.

The Atlanta Falcons played a complete game in Week 6 and as a result, came away with their first win of the season. Quarterback Matt Ryan was nearly perfect, completing 30 of 40 passes for 371 yards, four touchdowns, zero interceptions and a passer rating of 136.6.

Ryan’s big performance earned him NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Atlanta’s former MVP QB was in somewhat of a slump prior to Week 6. He failed to throw a touchdown in the previous two games. For the season, Ryan has thrown for 11 touchdowns, three interceptions and 1,843 passing yards for a quarterback rating of 97.8.

In Week 7, Ryan gets to face off against his pal Matt Stafford when the Detroit Lions (2-3) come to town on Sunday.

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