SEAHAWKS QB RUSSELL WILSON, PANTHERS LB LUKE
KUECHLY &
LIONS P SAM MARTIN NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 12
Quarterback RUSSELL WILSON of the Seattle Seahawks,
linebacker LUKE KUECHLY of the Carolina
Panthers and punter SAM MARTIN of
the Detroit Lions are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of
the Week for games played the 12th week of the 2015 season (November 26, 29-30),
the NFL announced today.
OFFENSE: QB RUSSELL WILSON, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
- Wilson tied the franchise
single-game record with five touchdown passes in the Seahawks’ 39-30 win
over Pittsburgh. He completed 21 of 30 passes (70 percent) for 345 yards
and did not throw an interception for a 147.9 passer rating.
- He threw three touchdown passes to
wide receiver DOUG BALDWIN,
including an 80-yarder with 2:01 remaining to seal the victory. Wilson’s
other two touchdown passes went to wide receiver JERMAINE KEARSE.
- The performance marked the 20th
time Wilson has thrown multiple touchdown passes without an interception
in a game, the most by any player in his first four seasons in NFL
history.
- Wilson, who turned 27 years old on
Sunday, is only the second player since 1950 to throw at least five
touchdown passes on his birthday (Pro Football Hall of Famer WARREN MOON, 1990).
- In his fourth season from
Wisconsin, this is Wilson’s fifth career Player of the Week Award.
- Wilson joins PEYTON MANNING as the only quarterbacks in the past 25 years
to be named Player of the Week in each of his first four NFL seasons.
- Wilson’s five Player of the Week
Awards are the most by a quarterback in franchise history.
DEFENSE: LB LUKE KUECHLY, CAROLINA PANTHERS
- Kuechly had two interceptions,
including a touchdown, and seven tackles in the Panthers’ 33-14 win at
Dallas.
- He scored his first career
touchdown late in the second quarter when he intercepted a pass and
returned it 32 yards for a score. On the next play from scrimmage, he
added his second interception of the game.
- Kuechly is the first player since
1987 (Cleveland’s CLAY MATTHEWS,
September 20) to intercept the same player on consecutive plays from
scrimmage and return the first for a touchdown.
- Since entering the NFL in 2012,
Kuechly leads all linebackers with 10 interceptions. During that span, he
leads all NFL players with 548 tackles.
- This season, Kuechly is the only
player in the NFL with at least 75 tackles (75), three interceptions
(three), a sack (one), a forced fumble (two) and a fumble recovery (one).
- In his fourth year from Boston
College, this is Kuechly’s fourth career Player of the Week Award.
- Kuechly’s four Defensive Player of
the Week Awards are the most in franchise history, surpassing JULIUS PEPPERS (three).
SPECIAL TEAMS: P SAM MARTIN, DETROIT LIONS
- Martin
averaged 46.0 yards per punt with a 45.3-yard net average in the Lions’ 45-14
win over Philadelphia. He also registered a career-high eight touchbacks on
eight kickoffs (100 percent).
- All
four of his punts traveled at least 45 yards and the Lions allowed only two
returns for three total yards (1.5 average).
- Martin’s
eight kickoff touchbacks are the most by any player this season.
- He
is one of six players to have at least eight kickoff touchbacks and a 100-percent
rate in a game since at least 1994, the first year the statistic was tracked.
- In
his third season from Appalachian State, this is Martin’s second career Player
of the Week Award (Week 3, 2013).
- Martin
joins kicker JASON HANSON (12) and
return specialist TERRY FAIR (two)
as the only Lions to win multiple Special Teams Player of the Week Awards.
2015 NFC PLAYERS OF THE
WEEK
| Offense | Defense | Special Teams |
Wk 1 | WR Julio
Jones, Atlanta | DT Aaron Donald,
St. Louis | PR-WR Tavon
Austin, St. Louis |
Wk 2 | WR Larry
Fitzgerald, Arizona | LB Sean Lee,
Dallas | KR-RB David
Johnson, Arizona |
Wk 3 | QB Aaron
Rodgers, Green Bay | S Tyrann
Mathieu, Arizona | PR-RB Darren
Sproles, Philadelphia |
Wk 4 | QB Drew
Brees, New Orleans | CB Josh
Norman, Carolina | K Robbie
Gould, Chicago |
Wk 5 | QB Eli
Manning, New York Giants | DE Fletcher
Cox, Philadelphia | PR Bobby
Rainey, Tampa Bay |
Wk 6 | WR Calvin
Johnson, Detroit | DT Kawann
Short, Carolina | LB Michael
Mauti, New Orleans |
Wk 7 | QB Kirk Cousins,
Washington | DE Michael
Bennett, Seattle | KR Dwayne
Harris, New York Giants |
Wk 8 | QB Drew
Brees, New Orleans | LB Kwon
Alexander, Tampa Bay | PR Marcus
Sherels, Minnesota |
Wk 9 | QB Cam
Newton, Carolina | DT Linval
Joseph, Minnesota | K Josh Brown,
New York Giants |
Wk 10 | QB Kirk
Cousins, Washington | CB Terence
Newman, Minnesota | KR Ameer
Abdullah, Detroit |
Wk 11 | QB Cam
Newton, Carolina | LB Lavonte
David, Tampa Bay | K Mason
Crosby, Green Bay |
Wk 12 | QB Russell
Wilson, Seattle | LB Luke
Kuechly, Carolina | P Sam Martin,
Detroit |
Other
nominees for NFC Offensive Player of Week 12 as submitted by NFC clubs:
- Seattle wide receiver DOUG BALDWIN, who had six catches
for 145 yards and three touchdowns.
- Washington quarterback KIRK COUSINS, who completed 20 of
29 passes (69 percent) for 302 yards with one touchdown versus no
interceptions for a 114.4 passer rating and rushed for a touchdown in the
Redskins’ 20-14 win over the New York Giants.
- Chicago quarterback JAY CUTLER, who passed for 200
yards and a touchdown in the Bears’ 17-13 win at Green Bay.
- Detroit wide receiver CALVIN JOHNSON, who had eight
catches for 93 yards and three touchdowns.
- Minnesota running back ADRIAN PETERSON, who rushed for
158 yards and two touchdowns in the Vikings’ 20-10 win at Atlanta.
- Detroit quarterback MATTHEW STAFFORD, who completed 27
of 38 passes (71.1 percent) for 337 yards with five touchdowns and no
interceptions for a 137.8 passer rating.
Other
nominees for NFC Defensive Player of Week 12 as submitted by NFC clubs:
- Detroit defensive end EZEKIEL ANSAH, who had 3.5 sacks,
four tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery.
- Minnesota linebacker ANTHONY BARR, who had eight
tackles, one sack and two forced fumbles.
- Arizona safety TONY JEFFERSON, who had a sack, a forced fumble and five
tackles in the Cardinals’ 19-13 win at San Francisco.
- Washington linebacker RYAN KERRIGAN, who had two sacks,
three tackles and a pass defensed.
- Arizona safety TYRANN MATHIEU, who had 13 tackles, an interception and two
passes defensed.
- Chicago cornerback TRACY PORTER, who had an
interception, four passes defensed and one tackle.
- Seattle cornerback RICHARD SHERMAN, who had an
interception, two passes defensed and five tackles.
Other
nominees for NFC Special Teams Player of Week 12 as submitted by NFC clubs:
- Arizona linebacker ALANI FUA, who recovered a San
Francisco fumble on a muffed punt.
- Carolina kicker GRAHAM GANO, who scored 15 points,
converting four of five field goal attempts and all three PATs.