Leonard Fournette, Thomas Morstead among NFC player of the week

Former LSU and St. Augustine running back Leonard Fournette and ex-Saints punter Thomas Morstead earned NFL honors for their Week 2 performances.

Fournette of the Buccaneers was named NFC Offensive Players of the Week for his efforts including the game-winning touchdown in the final minute of Tampa Bay’s 38-21 road win over Indianapolis. Morstead, now with the Falcons, was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

In the AFC, Broncos rookie cornerback Pat Surtain II earned Defensive Player of the Week honors. The rookie is the son of former Edna Karr and NFL standout Patrick Surtain, Sr.

See the NFL release below for full details:

NFC Players of the Week – Week 12
BUCCANEERS RB LEONARD FOURNETTE, PACKERS CB RASUL DOUGLAS & FALCONS P THOMAS MORSTEAD NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 12

Running back LEONARD FOURNETTTE of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, cornerback RASUL DOUGLAS of the Green Bay Packers and punter THOMAS MORSTEAD of the Atlanta Falcons are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 12 (November 25, 28-29).

OFFENSE: RB LEONARD FOURNETTE, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS
• Fournette totaled seven receptions, 131 scrimmage yards (100 rushing, 31 receiving) and a career-high four touchdowns (three rushing, one receiving) in a 38-31 win at Indianapolis.
• This is the first Offensive Player of the Week award for Fournette and he becomes the first Tampa Bay running back to earn the honor since Bobby Rainey (Week 11, 2013).
• He joins punter Bradley Pinion (Week 1), safety Mike Edwards (Week 2) and quarterback Tom Brady (Week 5) as the Buccaneers to earn a Player of the Week award this season.
• Fournette is the fourth former LSU player to win Offensive Player of the Week this season, joining quarterback Joe Burrow (Week 4) and wide receivers Ja’Marr Chase (Week 7) and Justin Jefferson (Week 11). He joins Joseph Addai (Week 8, 2007 and Week 12, 2006) and Dalton Hilliard (Week 7, 1989 and Week 9, 1987) as the only former Tiger running backs to earn the honor.

DEFENSE: CB RASUL DOUGLAS, GREEN BAY PACKERS
• Douglas recorded five tackles, four passes defensed and a 33-yard interception-return for a touchdown, the first touchdown of his career, in a 36-28 win over the Rams.
• This is Douglas’ first Defensive Player of the Week award and is the first Packer to earn the award since linebacker Za’Darius Smith (Week 4, 2020). He is the first Green Bay cornerback to win since Charles Woodson (Week 4, 2010).
• Douglas is the first former West Virginia cornerback to win Defensive Player of the Week and the first former Mountaineer to win the award since Raiders linebacker Bruce Irvin (Week 15, 2016).

SPECIAL TEAMS: P THOMAS MORSTEAD, ATLANTA FALCONS
• In his Falcons debut, Morstead pinned three of his five punts inside the 20-yard line in a 21-14 victory at Jacksonville. He ended the game with an average of 44.8 yards per punt (35.0 net), with a long of 55 yards.
• This is the sixth career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Morstead and first with the Falcons.

o 2009 (with Saints): Weeks 11, 17
o 2019 (with Saints): Weeks 3, 6
o 2020 (with Saints): Week 1
o 2021 (with Falcons): Week 12

• He joins Matt Bosher (Week 16, 2014) as the only Atlanta punters to earn the award.
• Morstead is the only former Southern Methodist player to win a Player of the Week award.

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AFC Players of the Week – Week 12
BENGALS RB JOE MIXON, BRONCOS CB PAT SURTAIN II & RAIDERS K DANIEL CARLSON NAMED AFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 12

Running back JOE MIXON of the Cincinnati Bengals, cornerback PAT SURTAIN II of the Denver Broncos and kicker DANIEL CARLSON of the Las Vegas Raiders are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 12 (November 25, 28-29).

OFFENSE: RB JOE MIXON, CINCINNATI BENGALS
• Mixon rushed for a career-high 165 yards on 28 attempts (5.9 average) and two touchdowns in Cincinnati’s 41-10 win over the Steelers. His 165 rushing yards led all players in Week 12 and are the fourth-most of any AFC player in a single game this season.
• He is the first player to rush for two touchdowns in four consecutive games within a single season since 2006 (Steven Jackson).
• This is the second Offensive Player of the Week award for Mixon (Week 4, 2020) and he becomes the third Bengal to receive the honor this season, joining quarterback Joe Burrow (Week 4) and wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase (Week 7).
• He joins Adrian Peterson (nine) as the only Oklahoma running backs to win the award multiple times.

DEFENSE: CB PAT SURTAIN II, DENVER BRONCOS
• Surtain recorded five tackles and two interceptions, including a 70-yard interception return for a touchdown, in Denver’s 28-13 win over the Chargers. He is the only rookie this season to record two interceptions and an interception return for a touchdown in a single game this season.

• This is the first Defensive Player of the Week award for Surtain and he is the first Denver player to earn the award since Kareem Jackson (Week 14, 2019).
• Surtain is the fourth Broncos rookie to ever win the award, joining Dre’Mont Jones (Week 16, 2019), Von Miller (Week 11, 2011) and D.J. Williams (Week 16, 2004).
• Surtain joins Dallas’ Trevon Diggs (Week 4) and the New York Giants’ Xavier McKinney (Week 9) as former Alabama defensive backs to earn the honor this season.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K DANIEL CARLSON, LAS VEGAS RAIDERS
• Carlson totaled 18 points, connecting all five field goals (22, 46, 30, 56 and 29 yards) and all three point after attempts. His final field goal clinched an overtime victory for the Raiders on Thanksgiving.

• He is the second AFC kicker to make five field goals in a single game this season.
• This is the second Special Teams Player of the Week award for Carlson this season (Week 2) and the fourth of his career (Week 11, 2018 and Week 1, 2020). He is the second Raiders player to earn the award at least four times, joining Sebastian Janikowski (seven).
• Carlson’s four Special Teams Player of the Week awards are the most among former Auburn players.