BENGALS QB JOE BURROW, STEELERS DT CAMERON HEYWARD &
JAGUARS K RILEY PATTERSON NAMED AFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 16
Quarterback JOE BURROW of the Cincinnati Bengals, defensive tackle CAMERON HEYWARD of the Pittsburgh Steelers and kicker RILEY PATTERSON of the Jacksonville Jaguars are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 16 (December 22, 24-26).
OFFENSE: QB JOE BURROW, CINCINNATI BENGALS
- Burrow completed a career-high 40 of 52 pass attempts (76.9 percent) for 375 yards and three touchdowns for a 99.4 passer rating in Cincinnati’s 22-18 victory over New England in Week 16. Burrow is the first player Since Week 14, 2018 (Dak Prescott) with at least 40 completions, a completion percentage of 75-or-higher and three touchdown passes in the same game.
- This is Burrow’s fifth-career Offensive Player of the Week award and third this season:
- 2021: Weeks 4, 16
- 2022: Weeks 7, 13, 16
- Burrow’s five Offensive Player of the Week awards are the most by a former LSU Tiger and the second-most by a Bengals player ever, trailing only Boomer Esiason (nine-time winner).
DEFENSE: DT CAMERON HEYWARD, PITTSBURGH STEELERS
- Heyward recorded seven tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and one pass defensed in Pittsburgh’s 13-10 win over Las Vegas. He was the only player in the AFC to record multiple sacks with a pass defensed last week.
- This is the third Defensive Player of the Week for Heyward, having previously won the award in Weeks 4 and 12 of the 2017 season. He is the third Steelers defender to win the award this season, joining Minkah Fitzpatrick (Week 1) and Alex Highsmith (Week 10).
- He is the third former Ohio State Buckeye to win Defensive Player of the Week award at least three times, joining Nick Bosa (four times) and Malcolm Jenkins (four).
SPECIAL TEAMS: K RILEY PATTERSON, JACKSONVILLE JAGUARS
- Patterson connected on a career-high four field goals – from 32, 45, 41 and 37 yards – and totaled 13 points in Jacksonville’s 19-6 win over the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football.
- This is the second-career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Patterson, having previously earned the award as a rookie in Week 15 of the 2021 season with Detroit.
- Patterson becomes the third former Memphis Tiger to win multiple Special Teams Player of the Week awards, joining Stephen Gostkowski (seven) and Jake Elliott (two).
2022 AFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
| Offense | Defense | Special Teams | |
| Wk 1Wk 2Wk 3Wk 4Wk 5Wk 6 | QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City QB Tua Tagovailoa, Miami QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville QB Patrick Mahomes, Kansas City QB Josh Allen, Buffalo QB Josh Allen, Buffalo | S Minkah Fitzpatrick, Pittsburgh CB Jaylen Watson, Kansas City DE Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati S Jordan Poyer, Buffalo LB Matthew Judon, New England DL Quinnen Williams, N.Y. Jets | K Cade York, Cleveland P Braden Mann, N.Y. Jets P Corliss Waitman, Denver K Evan McPherson, Cincinnati K Chase McLaughlin, Indianapolis K Dustin Hopkins, L.A. Chargers |
| Wk 7 | QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati | CB Sauce Gardner, N.Y. Jets | K Randy Bullock, Tennessee |
| Wk 8Wk 9Wk 10 | RB Derrick Henry, Tennessee RB Joe Mixon, Cincinnati RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis | DE Dre’Mont Jones, Denver LB Justin Houston, Baltimore LB Alex Highsmith, Pittsburgh | K Nick Folk, New England K Cameron Dicker, L.A. Chargers P Ryan Stonehouse, Tennessee |
| Wk 11Wk 12Wk 13Wk 14Wk 15Wk 16 | TE Travis Kelce, Kansas City RB Josh Jacobs, Las Vegas QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati QB Trevor Lawrence, Jacksonville QB Josh Allen, Buffalo QB Joe Burrow, Cincinnati | LB Matt Milano, Buffalo DT Ed Oliver, Buffalo DE Chandler Jones, Las Vegas LB Josh Uche, New England S Rayshawn Jenkins, Jacksonville DT Cameron Heyward, Pittsburgh | DB Marcus Jones, New England P JK Scott, L.A. Chargers WR Donovan Peoples-Jones, Cleveland DE Calais Campbell, Baltimore P Tommy Townsend, Kansas City K Riley Patterson, Jacksonville |
