A sensational season carried on through Week 16 for Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow.
Burrow’s latest brilliance saw him lead Cincy past the New England Patriots on Saturday and to the doorstep of a repeat as AFC North champion. It was unsurprising then that Burrow collected another weekly honor Wednesday when the Players of the Week were unveiled.
Burrow was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week for the third time this season after he keyed Cincinnati’s 22-18 victory over New England, which put the Bengals in position to clinch a division title this week. The Cincy QB threw for a season-high 375 yards against the Pats, completing 40 of 52 passes for three touchdowns and a 99.4 passer rating.
NFC Offensive Player of the Week went to first-time recipient D’Onta Foreman. The Carolina Panthers running back steamrolled his way to 165 yards rushing on 21 attempts in his team’s 37-23 victory over the Detroit Lions on Saturday. Foreman added a touchdown and was the leading ground gainer as the Panthers rushed for 250 yards en route to a franchise-record 570 total yards.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week Nick Bosa continued his run toward a potential Associated Press NFL Defensive Player of the Year accolade. The San Francisco 49ers defensive end posted seven tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble and a stop on a two-point conversion in the Niners’ 37-20 win over the Washington Commanders on Saturday.
Kicker Greg Joseph delivered the Minnesota Vikings their latest nail-biting victory on Saturday when his 61-yard field goal with no time left lifted the Vikes over the New York Giants, 27-24. Joseph’s 61-yarder was the fourth-longest game-winning field goal with no time remaining in the fourth quarter or in overtime. It was also the culmination of a perfect day for Joseph, who connected on all three of his extra points and each of his two field goal attempts to garner NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
On an emotional night for the Pittsburgh Steelers, defensive tackle Cameron Heyward led the way out on the field carrying a flag with Pro Football Hall of Famer Franco Harris’ No. 32 emblazoned upon it. Heyward then took the lead in delivering Pittsburgh a 13-10 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. Heyward posted seven tackles, two sacks, three tackles for loss and a pass defensed to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
It was a rainy Thursday night for the Jacksonville Jaguars in their 19-3 victory against the New York Jets, and with the offense hindered by the elements, kicker Riley Patterson came up clutch. Patterson was a perfect 5 for 5 on kicks, which included one extra point and four field goals to pile up 13 points and collect AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.