Taysom Hill named NFC Offensive Player of the Week

New Orleans Saints tight end Taysom Hill has been named the Week Five NFC Offensive Player of the Week.

Hill, 6-2, 221, originally acquired by New Orleans at the end of the 2017 preseason after spending his initial training camp in Green Bay as an undrafted free agent, spearheaded a standout Saints offensive effort in a 39-32 victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday, where he carried nine times for a career-high 112 yards (team record 12.4 avg.) with a career-high three touchdowns, including a career-long 60-yard rush that ended in the end zone in the fourth quarter to give New Orleans the lead for good. Hill also tossed a 22-yard touchdown pass to tight end Adam Trautman and delivered a key block on an Alvin Kamara run late in the fourth quarter for a first down to deny the Seahawks the opportunity to get the ball back and seal the victory.

By the end of the afternoon, where he helped New Orleans improve their record to 2-3 and stay only a game out of first place in a competitive NFC South race, Hill became New Orleans’ leading rusher on the season, carrying 21 times for 228 yards (NFL-best 10.9 avg.) with five rushing touchdowns, tied for fourth in the NFL.

Also playing on multiple special teams units on the contest and returning three kickoffs for 69 yards, he’s the first player since the NFL merger to register a kick return, two rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the same game. Hill became the second player in franchise history with at least three rushing touchdowns and a passing touchdown in the same game, joining Archie Manning (at Chicago, October, 2, 1977). Hill’s the third player ever to record at least 100 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown pass in a single game, joining Ronnie Brown (September 21, 2008) and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (September 25, 2005). Hill now has 21 career rushing touchdowns, seven career touchdown receptions and nine career touchdown passes. He joins Tomlinson as the only players since 2000 with at least 20 rushing touchdowns, five receiving touchdowns and five touchdown passes in their career. With his 20^th and 21^st career rushing touchdown, Hill joins another Pro Football Hall of Famer Walter Payton as only the second player in the Super Bowl era with 20 rushing touchdowns (21), eight passing touchdowns (nine) and six receiving touchdowns (seven).

It is the first NFC Offensive Player of the Week selection in Hill’s career, but not the first conference weekly award in his six-year career. Capturing the Week 14 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in 2018 for blocking a punt and sealing an NFC South title in a win at Tampa Bay, the Pocatello, Idaho native and former BYU standout joins RB Reggie Bush (Special Teams and Offense) as only the second Saint to win an NFC Player of the Week award in two different phases.

NFC Players of the Week – Week 5: SAINTS TE TAYSOM HILL, COWBOYS LB MICAH PARSONS & EAGLES K CAMERON DICKER NAMED NFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 5

Tight end TAYSOM HILL of the New Orleans Saints, linebacker MICAH PARSONS of the Dallas Cowboys and kicker CAMERON DICKER of the Philadelphia Eagles are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 5 (October 6, 9-10).

OFFENSE: TE TAYSOM HILL, NEW ORLEANS SAINTS
• Hill set career highs with 112 rushing yards and three rushing touchdowns and added a 22-yard touchdown pass in the Saints’ 39-32 win over Seattle.
• He became the third player ever to record at least 100 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns and a touchdown pass in a single game, joining Ronnie Brown (September 21, 2008) and Pro Football Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson (September 25, 2005).
• This marks the first career Offensive Player of the Week award for Hill and his second-career Player of the Week award overall, having previously been named Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 14, 2018.
• Hill becomes the second New Orleans tight end to win the award, joining Jimmy Graham (Week 10, 2012 and Week 3, 2013).

DEFENSE: LB MICAH PARSONS, DALLAS COWBOYS
• Parsons recorded five tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble in the Cowboys’ 22-10 win over the Los Angeles Rams. Parsons has recorded two sacks in three of the first five weeks.
• This is Parsons’ second-career Defensive Player of the Week award, having previously won the award in Week 8 of the 2021 season.
• Parsons becomes the third former Nittany Lion linebacker to earn the honor multiple times, joining Tamba Hali (three-time winner) and Sean Lee (three).

SPECIAL TEAMS: K CAMERON DICKER, PHILADELPHIA EAGLES
• Making his NFL debut, Dicker converted the game-winning 23-yard field goal with 1:45 remaining in the fourth quarter to help Philadelphia advance to 5-0 for the first time since 2004. He recorded eight total points (two field goals, two point after attempts) in the victory.
• He is the second rookie kicker to earn Special Teams Player of the Week honors during the 2022 season, joining Cleveland’s Cade York (Week 1).
• Dicker is the third former Texas kicker to earn the honor, joining Justin Tucker (11-time winner) and Phil Dawson (six).

AFC Players of the Week – Week 5: BILLS QB JOSH ALLEN, PATRIOTS LB MATTHEW JUDON & COLTS K CHASE MCLAUGHLIN NAMED AFC PLAYERS OF WEEK 5

Quarterback JOSH ALLEN of the Buffalo Bills, linebacker MATTHEW JUDON of the New England and kicker CHASE MCLAUGHLIN of the Indianapolis Colts are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 5 (October 6, 9-10).

OFFENSE: QB JOSH ALLEN, BUFFALO BILLS
• Allen completed 20 of 31 pass attempts (64.5 percent) for 424 yards and four touchdowns for a 134.1 rating in Buffalo’s 38-3 victory over Pittsburgh. Allen also added 42 rushing yards on five attempts. His 424 passing yards were the second-most by a quarterback in a game this season and his 134.1 rating was the highest by an AFC quarterback in Week 5.
• This is the eighth-career Offensive Player of the Week award for Allen and first this season:
o 2018: Week 17
o 2019: Week 11
o 2020: Weeks 2, 9, 13, 15
o 2021: Week 3
o 2022: Week 5
• Allen trails only Pro Football Hall of Famer Jim Kelly (10-time winner) for the most Offensive Player of the Week awards by a Buffalo quarterback.
• Since 2018, Allen’s eight Player of the Week awards are tied with Lamar Jackson for the second-most by a quarterback. Only Patrick Mahomes (nine) has more.

DEFENSE: LB MATTHEW JUDON, NEW ENGLAND
• Judon recorded three tackles, two sacks, a tackle for loss and a forced fumble in New England’s 29-0 shutout victory over Detroit. Judon is the only player in the league with a sack in each of the first five weeks of the season.
• This marks the second Defensive Player of the Week award for Judon (Week 11, 2017 with Baltimore).
• He becomes the first Patriots linebacker to win the award since Kyle Van Noy (Week 4, 2019).
SPECIAL TEAMS: K CHASE MCLAUGHLIN, INDIANAPOLIS COLTS
• McLaughlin converted all four his field goal attempts in Indianapolis’ 12-9 overtime victory over Denver on Thursday Night Football. He connected from 52, 51, 31 and 48 yards, the last of which sealed the Colts’ victory.
• This is the first-career Player of the Week award for McLaughlin and he joins Neil Rackers (three-time winner) as the only former Illinois kickers to ever earn the honor.
• McLaughlin is the sixth-ever Colts kicker to win the award, joining Dan Biasucci (two-time winner), Cary Blanchard (three-time winner), Rodrigo Blankenship (one-time winner), Mike Vanderjagt (five-time winner) and Adam Vinatieri (11-time winner).