Tag: player of the month

Broncos CB Pat Surtain named AFC Defensive Player of the Month

Congrats to Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain for being named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month!

Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November, the NFL announced Thursday.

“In the month of November, Surtain played in 140 total coverage snaps, allowing just nine receptions for 55 yards on 17 targets, according to Next Gen Stats,” the team stated in a press release announcing the award. “(Surtain) also did not allow a single reception in Week 9 against Baltimore when facing wide receiver Zay Flowers and Week 11 against Atlanta while facing wide receiver Drake London and Darnell Mooney.”

Earlier this season, Surtain earned AFC Player of the Week honors following his two-interception performance against the Las Vegas Raiders in Denver.

Surtain became the first Denver player to earn AFC Player of the Month honors since former linebacker Von Miller did so in September 2021.

“Surtain has started all 12 games played this season for the Broncos, totaling 31 tackles (23 solo), three interceptions (128 yds., 1 TD) and nine passes defensed,” said the release. “According to NFL NextGen Stats, he ranks Top-5 among all cornerbacks this season with at least 325 coverage snaps in receiving yards allowed (1st, 207), tight window throws forced (1st, 35.9%), receptions (2nd, 24), targets (2nd, 39) and passer rating allowed (4th, 60.5).”

Surtain’s monthly award is just a small part of the tremendous push he’s made for NFL Defensive Player of the Year in 2024.

Surtain and Co. have a bye this week before hosting the Indianapolis Colts at Empower Field at Mile High in Week 15.

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Alontae Taylor is our choice for Saints’ Defensive Player of September

In September, Alontae Taylor set a Saints record, led the team in sacks, and had a great performance against CeeDee Lamb. He’s our Saints Defensive Player of the Month:

Alontae Taylor is the New Orleans Saints defensive player of the month. Dennis Allen praised Taylor frequently this offseason, and Taylor continues to showcase why he was worthy of the comments.

This was a tough pick between him and safety Tyrann Mathieu. The secondary was expected to be the strength of the team, so it makes sense the two leading candidates for the team come from the unit.

Between Taylor, Mathieu and contributions from Marshon Lattimore and Kool-Aid McKinstry, the secondary has lived up to the billing.

Mathieu is responsible for the most turnovers on the team. He has 2 interceptions, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. However, the nod goes to Taylor because of his surprising pass rush and improved coverage ability in the slot.

Taylor leads the Saints in sacks despite being a nickel cornerback. In Week 1, he set a team record for most sacks by a defensive back in a game. Taylor also was tasked with covering CeeDee Lamb often in Week 2. Taylor lived up to the billing.

Taylor looks more comfortable in the slot and has impacted the game in multiple ways. For that, he earns the player of the month.

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Mavs star Luka Doncic beats out Houston’s Jalen Green for March Player of the Month

After a 13-2 month by the Rockets, Jalen Green was a West Player of the Month nominee in March. The award, however, went to Dallas’ Luka Doncic.

Led by an efficient 47 points from perennial All-Star guard and MVP candidate Luka Doncic, the red-hot Dallas Mavericks ended the month of March with Sunday’s statement win at Houston, snapping an 11-game win streak for the Rockets.

In addition to the impact on the standings and potential postseason implications in the Western Conference, that performance may also have decided the West’s Player of the Month award for that month.

Despite a brilliant month of March that led to Green being a nominee for the award, Doncic received it, according to the NBA’s announcement on Tuesday.

Here’s a look at the monthly statistics for both players:

  • Doncic: (14 games): 32.5 points, 10.1 rebounds, 10.1 assists, 4.3 turnovers per game; 47.0% FG, 38.1% on 3-pointers, plus 6.4 plus/minus
  • Green (15 games): 27.7 points, 6.3 rebounds, 3.9 assists, 2.3 turnovers per game; 49.2% FG, 40.8% on 3-pointers, plus 11.3 plus/minus

The Mavs went 11-4 in the month, while the Rockets were 13-2.

As for individual recognition, Green received the first Player of the Week award of his three-year NBA career in mid-March. So, it’s not as if he leaves the month empty handed.

Doncic and Green will do battle once more this season when Houston visits Dallas on Sunday. Tipoff is at 2:30 p.m. Central.

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Boston’s Jayson Tatum earns Eastern Conference Player of the Month honors

The St. Louis native has earned Player of the Month for the league’s Eastern Conference, joining the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic in being so honored.

The Boston Celtics have been the NBA’s best team for much of the month of February, and the NBA has taken note, following their decision to honor star Celtics forward Jaylen Brown by making him the Eastern Conference Player of the Week award with an even greater honor for fellow Boston All-Star wing, Jayson Tatum.

The St. Louis native has earned Player of the Month for the league’s Eastern Conference, joining the Dallas Mavericks’ Luka Doncic in being so honored, Doncic for the Western Conference for the month of February. Other candidates in the running to have earned the East Player of the Month include the Milwaukee Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo, and the New York Knicks’ Jalen Brunson.

The Cleveland Cavaliers’ Donovan Mitchell, Orlando Magic’s Franz Wagner, and Indiana Pacers’ Pascal Siakam and Myles Turner were also in the running for that honor.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nominated for January’s Western Conference Player of the Month

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nominated for January’s Western Conference Player of the Month award.

After winning it for the first time last month, Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was nominated for January’s Western Conference Player of the Month award.

This shouldn’t be a shocker as Gilgeous-Alexander has played like an MVP candidate all season on one of the best teams in the league. The 25-year-old has led the Oklahoma City Thunder to a 33-15 record and second place in the Western Conference standings.

The All-Star starter has been amazing for OKC all season. In 47 games, he’s averaging 31.3 points on 54.5% shooting, 6.4 assists, 5.6 rebounds and 2.2 steals.

In 17 games in January, he averaged 31.5 points on 54.3% shooting, 6.4 assists and 5.6 rebounds. He shot 40% from 3 on 3.5 attempts.

Phoenix Suns guard Devin Booker won the award for January. Other nominees for the Western Conference’s version include Luke Doncic, Nikola Jokic, Kawhi Leonard, Domantas Sabonis, Jaren Jackson Jr. and Lauri Markkanen.

Cleveland Cavaliers guard Donovan Mitchell won the Eastern Conference’s version of the award for January.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins December Western Conference Player of the Month award

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander wins December Western Conference Player of the Month award.

The NBA announced on Thursday that Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander was named December’s Western Conference Player of the Month.

This is the first time Gilgeous-Alexander has won the honor. He was previously nominated for the October/November award this season.

The 25-year-old is one of the best players in the league and has led the Thunder to a 23-10 record and second place in the Western Conference standings.

In 32 games, Gilgeous-Alexander is averaging 31.4 points on 54.6% shooting, 6.4 assists and 5.9 rebounds. He leads the league in steals at 2.5 per game.

During December, Gilgeous-Alexander averaged 31.9 points, 6.6 assists and 3.1 steals while leading OKC to a 10-3 record.

This news comes on the same day it was announced that Gilgeous-Alexander was third in the first batch of 2024 All-Star fan voting for West guards. Only Luka Doncic and Stephen Curry are ahead of him.

Gilgeous-Alexander is on track to make his second consecutive All-Star appearance this season.

The Thunder were also landed the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award in December. Chet Holmgren was announced as the winner. He garnered the ninth-most fan votes for All-Star starters among West frontcourt players.

This marks the sixth time in NBA history one team had the players that won both Rookie of the Month and Player of the Month in the same month, per the Thunder.

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Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nominated for Western Conference Player of the Month

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander nominated for Oct/Nov Western Conference Player of the Month:

After a career season last year, Oklahoma City Thunder’s Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has picked up right where he left off as one of the best players in the league.

The 25-year-old was nominated for Western Conference Player of the Month for October/November. The Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic won the award.

Gilgeous-Alexander led the Thunder to a strong 13-6 start. In 18 games, he has averaged 29.9 points on 53.8% shooting, 6.3 assists and 5.7 rebounds. He has shot 36.5% from 3 on 3.5 attempts.

This news came minutes after it was announced that Chet Holmgren won the Western Conference Rookie of the Month award for October/November. The guard-center duo continues to get national recognition for their strong seasons thus far.

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Broncos kicker Lutz named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Congrats to Broncos kicker Wil Lutz for being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month!

Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for November on Thursday.

In the month of November, Lutz was clutch, as the Broncos won two games by three points or less. Lutz finished the month 11-of-11 on field goals, and 3-of-4 on extra points.

After their bye week, the Broncos built on their then-two-game win streak with a walk-off field goal against the Buffalo Bills. If Buffalo didn’t have too many men on the field, Lutz may not have won this award this month. Initially, Lutz missed a 41-yard field goal, but a Bills penalty moved the ball five yards forward, and Lutz drilled the make-up kick.

Lutz becomes the Denver first player to win a Special Teams Player of the Month award since kicker Brandon McManus won the award as a Bronco in 2015.

Ironically, Lutz, who replaced McManus as the Broncos’ kicker at the beginning of the year, succeeds McManus as the AFC Special Team Player of the Month. Lutz hopes to continue his hot leg against the Houston Texans this week.

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Wil Lutz takes a victory lap on Dennis Allen after winning Player of the Month award

Wil Lutz enjoyed a victory lap on Dennis Allen after winning the award for AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in November:

It’s safe to say that Wil Lutz hasn’t forgiven Dennis Allen. The New Orleans Saints head coach traded the former Pro Bowl kicker to the Denver Broncos before this season, where Lutz has gone on to win recognition as AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in November. He previously won the award with the Saints as the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month in September 2018.

Lutz connected on all 11 of his field goal tries in November, leading the AFC, with his 36 kicking points ranking second-best in the conference. On the year so far he’s 24 of 26 on field goals with a success rate of 92.3%, which is his best rate since the 2018 season. He’s also hit 18 of his 20 extra point attempts. Lutz handles kickoffs in Denver, too, where he’s found 52 touchbacks on 56 tries (92.9%).

How does that compare to his replacement Blake Grupe? The rookie is 24 of 30 on field goals this season (and 7 of 9 in November) with a hit rate of 80%. He has connected on all 19 point-after tries, but his touchback rate is just 89.5% (51 of 57). His experience has been a bit of a roller coaster. Dennis Allen’s decision to make a change here hasn’t worked out for the better.

And Lutz is taking notice. After being announced as November’s AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, he had a bit of fun on social media. Keen-eyed Saints fans noticed Lutz had “liked” a series of online posts critical of Allen and calling for his job:

So that might suggest Lutz is in agreement with the “Fire Dennis Allen” movement spreading through Saints communities online. It would be easy to understand why he feels that way after Allen jettisoned him, but continuing to find success with the Broncos might help him look elsewhere.

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Brandon McManus named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month

Brandon McManus made all 12 of his field goals, including four from 50+ during a perfect October.

Jacksonville Jaguars kicker Brandon McManus earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors for October, the NFL announced Thursday.

McManus, 32, finished the month a perfect 12-for-12 on field goals and 12-for-12 on extra points. The miss-free October included plenty of tough kicks too with McManus making four field goals from at least 50 yards. He also earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after making three field goals against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4.

The Jaguars signed McManus in May after he was surprisingly released by the Denver Broncos. When he became a free agent, McManus gave the Jaguars a call to see if they’d be interested in his services despite already having Riley Patterson on the roster. Jacksonville made the swap and it has paid dividends with McManus rarely missing in his first eight games with the team.

McManus is only the third Jaguars player to ever earn AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors along with return specialist Jamal Agnew (September 2021) and punter Chris Hanson (September 2005). He’s the first Jaguars kicker to ever win the award.

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