Cleveland Browns K Dustin Hopkins has earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week and DE Myles Garrett AFC Defensive Player of the Week for games played Oct. 19-23 (Week 7), the National Football League announced Wednesday.
Hopkins made all four field goal attempts, including three from 50-plus yards during the Browns 39-38 victory in Indianapolis. He set an NFL record with at least one 50-plus yard field goal in five consecutive games. His three field goals from 50-plus yards tied for the second-most in a single-game by any player in NFL history. Hopkins connected on a 58-yard field goal, which marked a career-long and tied for the second-longest field goal in Browns history. He also added three PATs.
Hopkins was also named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 6. He joins Daniel Carlson (2021), Justin Tucker (2019), Stephen Hauschka (2017), Matt Prater (2016) as the only kickers to win back-to-back since 2016. This is Hopkins' fifth career Special Teams Player of the Week award (three in the AFC and two in the NFC).
"Very well deserving, so whoever votes on that, they got this one right," HC Kevin Stefanski said on Wednesday. "Dustin's been awesome. I enjoy having him around. A good person, fits really well with our team. He was a game captain last week. The guys made him a game captain and then he came through and played like that kick like that."
Garrett recorded nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass defensed and one blocked field goal at Indianapolis. Both his forced fumbles were recovered by Cleveland and resulted in 14 points, including one recovered in the end zone for a score, while his blocked field goal led to a Browns field goal. His performance marked the fourth time in Browns history that a player recorded at least two sacks and two forced fumbles in a single-game and the second time Garrett has accomplished the feat (2018) along with Mark Word (2002) and John Thierry (1999). Garrett, who has 82 career sacks and turns 28 years old later this season, surpassed Pro Football Hall of Famer Reggie White (80 sacks) for the most NFL sacks by a player prior to his 28th birthday.
This marks Garrett's third career Defensive Player of the Week award and first since Week 3 in 2021. This is the second time that the Browns have had two AFC Player of the Week winners in the same week, joining LB Pepper Johnson (Defensive) and PR Eric Metcalf (Special Teams) during Week 8 in 1994.
"He's doing things that not many humans can do," Stefanski said.
