49ERS WR DEEBO SAMUEL, EAGLES CB DARIUS SLAY & PANTHERS K ZANE GONZALEZ NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 10
Wide receiver DEEBO SAMUEL of the San Francisco 49ers, cornerback DARIUS SLAY of the Philadelphia Eagles and kicker ZANE GONZALEZ of the Carolina Panthers are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 10 (November 11, 14-15).
OFFENSE: WR DEEBO SAMUEL, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
- Samuel totaled five receptions and 133 scrimmage yards (97 receiving, career-high 36 rushing) with two touchdowns (one receiving, one rushing), his first-career game with both a receiving and rushing touchdown, in San Francisco’s 31-10 win over the Rams on Monday Night Football.
- This is the second Offensive Player of the Week award for Samuel, with the first coming in Week 8 of this season. He joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Jerry Rice (1990, 1992 and 1994) as the only 49ers wide receivers to earn the award multiple times in a single season.
- He is the first 49er to win two Offensive Player of the Week awards in the same season since running back Frank Gore in 2009 (Weeks 2 and 14).
- Samuel joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Sterling Sharpe (three-time winner) as the only former South Carolina players to earn multiple Offensive Player of the Week awards and is the first to win the award twice in one season.
- He is one of three players to win multiple Offensive Player of the Week awards this season, joining Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford and Kansas City quarterback Patrick Mahomes.
DEFENSE: CB DARIUS SLAY, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
- Slay recorded five tackles, including a tackle for loss, and returned a fumble 83 yards for a touchdown in Philadelphia’s 30-13 win at Denver.
- This is Slay’s fourth Defensive Player of the Week honor and his first with the Eagles:
- 2016 (with Detroit): Week 5
- 2017 (with Detroit): Week 15
- 2018 (with Detroit): Week 14
- 2021: Week 10
- He is the first Philadelphia player to earn the award since defensive tackle Fletcher Cox (Week 17, 2018).
- Slay leads all former Mississippi State players with four Defensive Player of the Week awards and is the first former Mississippi State player to earn the award since Jeffery Simmons (Week 9, 2020).
SPECIAL TEAMS: K ZANE GONZALEZ, CAROLINA PANTHERS
- In Week 10, Gonzalez converted all four of his field goals – from 27, 44, 48 and 49 yards – and both of his point after attempts for a total of 14 points in the Panthers’ 34-10 victory at the Cardinals. It marked the most kicking points by any player in Week 10.
- This is the second Special Teams Player of the Week award for Gonzalez, with the first coming in Week 8 of this season. He joins John Kasay (1996) and Joe Nedney (2000) as the Carolina kickers to earn the honor twice in one season.
- Gonzalez is the first former Arizona State player to win the Special Teams Player of the Week multiple times.
- He joins Indianapolis punter Rigoberto Sanchez as the only players to win two Special Teams Player of the Week awards this season.
2021 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
| Offense | Defense | Special Teams | |
| Wk 1 | QB Matthew Stafford, L.A. Rams | LB Chandler Jones, Arizona | P Bradley Pinion, Tampa Bay |
| Wk 2 | QB Kyler Murray, Arizona | S Mike Edwards, Tampa Bay | P Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco |
| Wk 3 | QB Matthew Stafford, L.A. Rams | CB Byron Murphy, Arizona | K Mason Crosby, Green Bay |
| Wk 4 | QB Daniel Jones, N.Y. Giants | CB Trevon Diggs, Dallas | KR DeAndre Carter, Washington |
| Wk 5 | QB Tom Brady, Tampa Bay | CB Marshon Lattimore, New Orleans | LB T.J. Edwards, Philadelphia |
| Wk 6 | QB Dak Prescott, Dallas | S Taylor Rapp, L.A. Rams | K Matt Prater, Arizona |
| Wk 7 | RB Alvin Kamara, New Orleans | LB Deion Jones, Atlanta | K Graham Gano, N.Y. Giants |
| Wk 8 | WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco | LB Micah Parsons, Dallas | K Zane Gonzalez, Carolina |
| Wk 9
Wk 10 |
QB Matt Ryan, Atlanta
WR Deebo Samuel, San Francisco |
S Xavier McKinney, N.Y. Giants
CB Darius Slay, Philadelphia |
RB Kene Nwangwu, Minnesota
K Zane Gonzalez, Carolina |
