NEW YORK – Atlanta Falcons quarterback Kirk Cousins, Green Bay Packers linebacker Edgerrin Cooper and Detroit Lions punt returner Kalif Raymond are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for Week 8 (October 24, 27-28).
OFFENSE: QB KIRK COUSINS, ATLANTA FALCONS
- Cousins completed 23 of 29 attempts (79.3 percent) for 276 yards and four touchdowns with a 145.9 passer rating in the Falcons’ 31-26 win against the Buccaneers. He was the only player in Week 8 with four touchdown passes and no interceptions.
- This is the ninth-career Player of the Week award and second this season for Cousins, becoming the third Falcons quarterback to earn the honor twice in a season, joining Matt Ryan (2014 and 2016) and Michael Vick (2004):
- 2015: Weeks 7, 10 (Washington)
- 2016: Week 11 (Washington)
- 2017: Week 3 (Washington)
- 2020: Weeks 12, 17 (Minnesota)
- 2022: Week 15 (Minnesota)
- 2024: Weeks 5, 8 (Atlanta)
- Cousins’ nine Player of the Week awards tie Pro Football Hall of Famer Morten Andersen for the most-ever by a former Michigan State player.
DEFENSE: LB EDGERRIN COOPER, GREEN BAY PACKERS
- Cooper recorded eight tackles, a sack, a forced fumble and a pass defensed in Green Bay’s 30-27 win at Jacksonville. Cooper is the first rookie with five-or-more tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in a game this season.
- This is Cooper’s first-career Player of the Week Award, becoming the first Packers rookie to win Defensive Player of the Week since Clay Matthews (Week 13, 2009).
- Cooper joins Von Miller (Week 11, 2011) as the only former Texas A&M players to win Defensive Player of the week as a rookie.
SPECIAL TEAMS: PR KALIF RAYMOND, DETROIT LIONS
- Raymond recorded 190 punt-return yards (including a 90-yard punt-return touchdown and a 64-yard punt return) and a 29-yard touchdown reception in Detroit’s 52-14 victory against Tennessee. Raymond joined Travis Benjamin (Sept. 20, 2015), Jermaine Lewis (Dec. 7, 1997) and Steve Smith Sr. (Dec. 8, 2002) as the fourth player in NFL history with at least 150 punt-return yards, a punt-return touchdown and a touchdown reception in a game.
- This is the second-career Special Teams Player of the Week Award for Raymond:
- 2022: Week 15
- 2024: Week 8
- Raymond joins Terry Fair as the only Lions non-kicker/punter to earn Special Teams Player of the Week multiple times.
