NFC Players of the Week – Week 2

CARDINALS QB KYLER MURRAY, BUCCANEERS S MIKE EDWARDS &
49ERS P MITCH WISHNOWSKY NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 2

Quarterback KYLER MURRAY of the Arizona Cardinals, safety MIKE EDWARDS of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and punter MITCH WISHNOWSKY of the San Francisco 49ers are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 2 (September 16, 19-20).

OFFENSE: QB KYLER MURRAY, ARIZONA CARDINALS

  • In their comeback win over Minnesota, Murray completed 29 of 36 attempts (80.6 pct.) for 400 yards and three touchdowns for a 117.6 rating and added 31 rushing yards with a rushing touchdown. It marked the most passing yards in the league in Week 2.
  • This is the fifth-career Offensive Player of the Week award for Murray:
    • 2019: Week 6
    • 2020: Weeks 5, 7, 15
    • 2021: Week 2
  • Murray ties cornerback Patrick Peterson (five) and Pro Football Hall of Fame quarterback Kurt Warner (five) for the most Player of the Week Awards ever by a Cardinals player.

DEFENSE: S MIKE EDWARDS, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

  • In Tampa Bay’s victory over Atlanta, Edwards recorded four tackles and three passes defensed and became the first player since 1992 to record two interception-returns for a touchdown in the fourth quarter of a single game.
  • This is the first-ever Defensive Player of the Week award for Edwards.
  • Edwards becomes the first Tampa Bay defensive back to earn the honor since cornerback Ronde Barber (Week 1, 2012) and is the franchise’s first safety to win since Pro Football Hall of Famer John Lynch (Week 13, 1996).

SPECIAL TEAMS: P MITCH WISHNOWSKY, SAN FRANCISCO

  • In San Francisco’s win in Philadelphia, Wishnowsky averaged 45.2 yards on his five punts (42.6 net), with three punts inside the 20-yard line, including two inside the 10 and one inside the 5.
  • This is the second-career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Wishnowsky (Week 9, 2019).
  • Wishnowsky joins Andy Lee (three-time winner) as the only San Francisco punters to earn the honor multiple times.

2021 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

OffenseDefenseSpecial Teams
Wk 1QB Matthew Stafford, L.A. RamsLB Chandler Jones, ArizonaP Bradley Pinion, Tampa Bay
Wk 2QB Kyler Murray, ArizonaS Mike Edwards, Tampa BayP Mitch Wishnowsky, San Francisco