49ERS RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, VIKINGS LB ZA’DARIUS SMITH &
SEAHAWKS TE WILL DISSLY NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 8
Running back CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY of the San Francisco 49ers, linebacker ZA’DARIUS SMITH of the Minnesota Vikings and tight end WILL DISSLY of the Seattle Seahawks are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 8 (October 27, 30-31).
OFFENSE: RB CHRISTIAN MCCAFFREY, SAN FRANCISCO 49ERS
- McCaffrey registered eight receptions, 149 scrimmage yards (94 rushing, 55 receiving) and three total touchdowns (one passing, one rushing, one receiving) in the 49ers’ 31-14 win at the Los Angeles Rams in Week 8. He became the fourth player with a touchdown pass, rushing touchdown and touchdown reception in a single game since 1970.
- This is the first-career Offensive Player of the Week award for McCaffrey and he becomes the first San Francisco running back to earn the honor since Frank Gore (Week 14, 2009).
- McCaffrey is the first-ever former Stanford running back to win the award and is the first Cardinal to win since quarterback Andrew Luck (Week 11, 2018).
DEFENSE: LB ZA’DARIUS SMITH, MINNESOTA VIKINGS
- Smith recorded seven tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks and a pass defensed in Minnesota’s 34-26 victory over Arizona. It marked the most tackles for loss and sacks of any player in Week 8.
- This is the third-career Defensive Player of the Week award for Smith and first with the Vikings:
- 2018 (with Baltimore): Week 6
- 2020 (with Green Bay): Week 4
- 2022 (with Minnesota): Week 8
- He is the first Vikings linebacker to earn the honor since Eric Kendricks (Week 1, 2016).
SPECIAL TEAMS: TE WILL DISSLY, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS
- Dissly forced a fumble and later recovered a fumble, both on punt coverage, in Seattle’s 27-13 victory over the Giants.
- This is the first Player of the Week Award for Dissly and he is the first Seahawk to win Special Teams Player of the Week since running back Travis Homer (Week 13, 2021).
- Dissly becomes the third former University of Washington player to earn the honor, joining kicker Jeff Jaeger (six-time winner) and punt returner Jaydon Mickens (two-time winner).
2022 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
| Offense | Defense | Special Teams | |
| Wk 1 | RB Saquon Barkley, N.Y. Giants | LB Uchenna Nwosu, Seattle | CB Zech McPhearson, Philadelphia |
| Wk 2 | WR Amon-Ra St. Brown, Detroit | CB Darius Slay, Philadelphia | K Graham Gano, N.Y. Giants |
| Wk 3 | RB Cordarrelle Patterson, Atlanta | DE Brandon Graham, Philadelphia | P Pat O’Donnell, Green Bay |
| Wk 4 | QB Geno Smith, Seattle | LB Haason Reddick, Philadelphia | K Greg Joseph, Minnesota |
| Wk 5 | TE Taysom Hill, New Orleans | LB Micah Parsons, Dallas | K Cameron Dicker, Philadelphia |
| Wk 6 | QB Marcus Mariota, Atlanta | CB Tariq Woolen, Seattle | P Ryan Wright, Minnesota |
| Wk 7 | QB Daniel Jones, N.Y. Giants | CB Marco Wilson, Arizona | K Cairo Santos, Chicago |
| Wk 8 | RB Christian McCaffrey, San Francisco | LB Za’Darius Smith, Minnesota | TE Will Dissly, Seattle |
