Tag: Player of the Week

Taysom Hill just won his second FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week award

Just one tight end has won the FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week award in its 22-year history, and Taysom Hill has now done that twice:

The FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week awards have been a mainstay of NFL honors for 22 years, but just one tight end has earned it. And now he’s done it twice. New Orleans Saints star Taysom Hill won the award for the second time after his huge day against the Cleveland Browns, powering the Saints to a dominant win at home with three touchdown runs.

Denver Broncos rookie quarterback Bo Nix was also recognized with this week’s award after completing 28 of 33 passes for 307 yards and 4 touchdowns in the Broncos’ big win over the Atlanta Falcons.

FedEx has pledged that they “will make a $2,000 donation in Hill’s name to a Historically Black College or University of his choice, which will be applied towards needs-based scholarships to deserving HBCU students.”

Hill set some new personal-bests along the way, too. Hill totaled 138 rushing yards from seven carries and 50 receiving yards off of eight catches. He also completed an 18-yard pass and picked up 42 yards on a kick return, impacting the game on both offense and special teams. It’s not the type of performance you see too often in today’s game.

And it goes to show how special Hill is, and how important his presence is to the Saints’ success. They may not win every game when he sees such a heavy workload, but Hill playing well does tend to correlate with victories. When he’s running with a head full of steam there aren’t many NFL defenses who can slow him down.

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Taysom Hill recognized with his second career Offensive Player of the Week award

Take a bow, Taysom Hill. The Saints’ standout football player was recognized with his second career Offensive Player of the Week award:

Take a bow, Taysom Hill. The New Orleans Saints football player was recognized with his second career NFC Offensive Player of the Week award after making plays as a runner, receiver, and passer against the Cleveland Browns — not counting his impressive kick return for 42 yards.

Take that with his 138 rushing yards, 50 receiving yards, and an 18-yard pass, and Hill amassed 188 yards from scrimmage with 230 all-purpose yards. Each of those totals were personal bests for him, and he had three touchdown runs on the afternoon, too.

This is the third weekly honor for Hill after he was previously named NFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2022 and NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in 2018. Call him a quarterback, fullback, tight end or wide receiver — wherever Hill lines up, he makes plays. That’s what interim head coach Darren Rizzi expressed to FOX Sports sideline reporter Jennifer Hale during Sunday’s win over the Browns.

“Taysom’s an unbelievable football player, usually the more we can use him the better off we are,” Rizzi said on the broadcast, acknowledging Hill’s highlights despite an interception and fumble on the day. “We just gotta do a better job limiting the negative plays, can’t turn the football over. But we’re going to use Taysom as much as we can.”

Hill is averaging a career-high 38.3 rushing yards per game this season on top of 21.4 receiving yards per game, which is also the most for his time in the NFL. Over the summer Klint Kubiak and the Saints coaching staff expressed an eagerness to get more out of Hill than in past seasons, and you’re seeing that pay off. Hill just needs to stay healthy, protect the football, and keep earning recognition for his efforts.

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Bo Nix makes more Broncos history with AFC Offensive Player of the Week nod

Bo Nix is the first rookie quarterback in Broncos history to win AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Denver Broncos quarterback Bo Nix has been named the AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his impressive performance against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 11, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Nix is the first rookie quarterback in franchise history to win the award, yet another accomplishment added to his growing list of accolades.

Nix went 28-of-33 (84.8%) passing for 307 yards with four touchdowns and no turnovers in a 38-6 win over the Falcons on Sunday. It was a historic performance as Nix became the first rookie QB in NFL history to throw for at least 300 yards and four touchdowns with a completion rate above 80%.

The last Broncos quarterback to win this award was Trevor Siemian in 2016. Denver’s last player to win it was wide receiver Jerry Jeudy in 2022. Nix is the tenth rookie in franchise history to take home the honors.

Earlier this season, Denver kicker Wil Lutz (special teams), cornerback Pat Surtain (defense) and linebacker Cody Barton (defense) received Player of the Week recognition.

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Taysom Hill nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week again

Taysom Hill has been nominated for FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week after his huge game against the Browns. He last won this award in 2022:

Shout out to Taysom Hill — the New Orleans Saints star has been nominated again for FedEx Air & Ground Player of the Week after his standout performance against the Cleveland Browns last Sunday. Hill scored three touchdowns runs while rushing for 138 yards and gaining 50 yards as a receiver, with an additional 18 passing yards to his credit (an interception and fumble notwithstanding).

He’s facing stiff competition this week from peak performers like Detroit Lions leaders Jared Goff and Amon-Ra St. Brown as well as Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford, Denver Broncos rookie Bo Nix, and Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley.

Saints fans can vote for Hill at NFL.com/FedEx until voting closes at 2 p.m. CT/3 p.m. ET on Wednesday.

The last time Hill won this award, he was coming off an impressive outing against the Seattle Seahawks in 2022. That day Hill ran for 112 yards and three touchdowns as well, but he also threw a 22-yard touchdown pass, though he didn’t make any plays as a receiver. This time he impacted all three phases on offense. Maybe that helps him repeat.

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Chiefs LB Leo Chenal earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after blocked FG vs. Broncos

#Chiefs LB Leo Chenal earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors after his legendary field goal block against the #Broncos.

The Kansas City Chiefs narrowly escaped Week 10 with their undefeated season intact, due in no small part to the efforts of linebacker Leo Chenal, who blocked a Denver Broncos field goal attempt as time expired in the fourth quarter.

For his efforts against Denver, Chenal earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors, an accomplishment he is sure to cherish as the Chiefs make their bid for a third consecutive Super Bowl title this season.

In addition to his blocked field goal, Chenal combined for four tackles against the Broncos, which helped lift Kansas City to victory on Sunday.

 

Though Chenal’s role in the Chiefs’ defense supersedes the contributions he makes on special teams, his outstanding effort against Denver wasn’t the first time that the budding young linebacker has made his presence felt against an opposing kicker.

In Super Bowl LVIII earlier this year, Chenal blocked a field goal that helped earn Kansas City its third championship of the Patrick Mahomes era.

Steelers’ WR named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Calvin Austin’s Week 8 breakout game put the NFL on notice, resulting in being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

Ladies and gentlemen, Calvin Austin III has arrived and is being recognized for his elite play in Week 8. Austin has been named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his dynamic 73-yard punt return for a touchdown. 

With the score tied 9-9 in the third quarter, Austin knew he needed to make a splash play—and that is exactly what he did. After helping his team take the lead with his dynamic punt return, Austin continued to make his presence felt in the receiving game, hauling in 54 yards and two total touchdowns on the night. 

Can Austin keep the momentum rolling, not only contributing to the Steelers’ top spot in the AFC North, but also locking up Pittsburgh’s WR2 spot indefinitely? Only time will tell, but Austin’s fantastic performance seemingly leads to one simple conclusion—this is only the first of many awards Austin will earn during his time in the Steel City.

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Commanders QB Jayden Daniels wins two more awards

The awards keep coming in for Jayden Daniels.

Washington Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels better have a large trophy case. Daniels led Washington to a 42-14 win over the Arizona Cardinals in Week 4 to improve to 3-1. Daniels was phenomenal again, completing 26 of 30 passes for 233 yards with a touchdown and interception. Daniels also rushed for his fourth touchdown of the season.

Daniels’ latest performance has earned him more national recognition. For Week 4, he was named the FedEx Air and Ground Player of the Week.

Daniels was the NFL Offensive Player of the Week last week and has twice been named the Rookie of the Week.

But the awards didn’t stop there for Daniels. Daniels was also named the Nickelodeon Player of the Week. And his teammates shared in the fun.

Daniels’ offensive line “slimed” him for winning the award, but he had the opportunity to return the favor.

Here’s proof of the “sliming.”

You can see Washington’s camaraderie in full display here.

 

Alvin Kamara voted as FedEx Ground Player of the Week

After crossing the century mark and rushing for 3 touchdowns, Saints RB Alvin Kamara was named FedEx ground player of the week.

Alvin Kamara continues to be recognized for his impact performance against the Dallas Cowboys. The New Orleans Saints running back was voted the FedEx Ground Player of the Week alongside Kyler Murray, who was the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Kamara rushed for 115 yards in Week 2 and added an additional three rushing touchdowns on the day. Those totals put him in the top five for yardage and make him the leading scorer in the position for the week.

His three rushing touchdowns against the Dallas Cowboys would have been good enough to lead the league for the season. Add in his touchdown run versus the Carolina Panthers and Kamara has double the amount of touchdown runs as the next closest running back.

Kamara looks rejuvenated and his ability to get into the end zone is the greatest showcase of that. In his prime, Kamara was a touchdown machine. Through two games, that has been the case again.

It’s also the biggest reason he’s the FedEx Ground Player of the Week for the fifth time in his storied NFL career.

Alvin Kamara honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week

New Orleans Saints running back Alvin Kamara has been honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week. It’s just the third time he’s won this award:


Here’s some well-deserved recognition for Alvin Kamara. The New Orleans Saints’ star running back has been honored as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after his performance against the Dallas Cowboys, in which Kamara totaled 180 yards from scrimmage (115 rushing, 65 receiving) with four touchdowns (three runs, one catch).

It’s just the third time he’s won this award. Kamara was previously recognized as the NFC Offensive Player of the Week in 2021 (following an impressive road win over the Seattle Seahawks) and 2020 (after his historic six-touchdown game on Christmas Day). So this will be a much-needed  addition to his trophy case.

Kamara is looking like exactly as great a fit in Klint Kubiak’s system as both the former Pro Bowler and first-year offensive coordinator predicted. He leads the NFL in scrimmage yards (290) through the first two weeks with five total touchdowns scored; Saquon Barkley and James Cook have each scored three times, but nobody else has more than two so far. It’s early, but this is shaping up to be a career resurgence for Kamara.

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Atticus Sappington named Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week

Oregon Duck place kicker Atticus Sappington has been named the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week.

It would be natural for Oregon place kicker Atticus Sappington to circle September 14 on the Duck schedule.

That was the Civil War and Corvallis was his old stomping grounds, so of course he wanted to play well in front of some former fans of his.

Despite getting booed every time he stepped on the Reser Stadium turf, Sappington made all of his kicks, including two field goals in Oregon’s 49-14 win over the Beavers.

His efforts earned Sappington the Big Ten Special Teams Player of the Week honors. He also made all five of his extra-point attempts.

This makes it two straight weeks where an Oregon Duck has been the Special Teams Player of the Week. Kick returner Tez Johnson was honored last week in the 37-34 win over Boise State thanks to his 84-yard punt return for a touchdown.

So far this year, Sappington has been solid for the Ducks, hitting 4-of-5 field goals, and 13-of-14 extra points through the first three weeks.

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