NEW YORK – Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr., Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman and Detroit Lions EDGE D.J. Wonnum are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 7 (October 22, 25-26).
OFFENSE: QB MICHAEL PENIX JR., ATLANTA FALCONS
- Penix completed 25 of 34 pass attempts (73.5 percent) for 213 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 118.9 rating in Atlanta’s 29-20 win against San Francisco. He was the only NFC quarterback with at least three touchdown passes and no interceptions with a completion percentage of 70-or-higher in Week 7.
- This is Penix’s first-career Offensive Player of the Week award. He is the 11th Falcons quarterback in franchise history to win the award and first since Kirk Cousins (Week 8, 2024).
- Penix is the sixth former University of Washington quarterback to earn an Offensive Player of the Week award, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon (10-time winner), Mark Brunell (three), Chris Chandler (three), Jake Browning (Week 13, 2023) and Damon Huard (Week 5, 2006).
DEFENSE: LB BLAKE CASHMAN, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
- Cashman recorded 12 tackles, four passes defensed and two sacks in the Vikings’ 16-10 win against Indianapolis. He became first player since 2000 to record at least 12 tackles, four passes defensed and two sacks in a single game.
- This is Cashman’s second-career Defensive Player of the Week award (Week 6, 2023 with Houston). He becomes the fifth Vikings player this season to win a Player of the Week award, joining Isaiah Rodgers (Week 2 – Special Teams), Myles Price (Week 3 – Special Teams), Will Reichard (Week 4 – Special Teams) and Byron Murphy (Week 5 – Defense).
- Cashman is the fourth former University of Minnesota player to win multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards, joining Karl Mecklenburg (three-time winner), Tyrone Carter (two) and Antoine Winfield Jr. (two).
SPECIAL TEAMS: EDGE D.J. WONNUM, DETROIT LIONS
- Wonnum blocked a go-ahead field goal attempt with 3:25 remaining in the fourth quarter. With the change of possession, the Lions offense used the remaining 3:25 to give kicker Jake Bates the opportunity to kick the game-winning 22-yard field goal as time expired in Detroit’s 20-17 victory over Green Bay.
- This is Wonnum’s first-career Player of the Week award and he becomes the second Lions linebacker to earn a Special Teams Player of the Week award, joining Jalen Reeves-Maybin (Week 13, 2023).
- Wonnum is the sixth former South Carolina position player to win Special Teams Player of the Week, joining Robert Brooks (Week 6, 1994), Damiere Byrd (Week 16, 2017), Pharoh Cooper (Week 6, 2017), Lance Laury (Week 3, 2007) and Keisean Nixon (Week 17, 2022).
