Return a punt 99 yards in overtime, win a prize.
In one of the more obvious awards in recent memory, Cardinals rookie cornerback Patrick Peterson was named the NFC special teams player of the week after his amazing walk-off touchdown Sunday against the Rams , his first such award.
“Once I get the ball in my hands, I’m just trying to make a play for this team,” Peterson said. “That is why these guys brought me in here.”
The return for a score was Peterson’s third of the season, already tying the franchise’s career record with Vai Sikahema and Ollie Matson. It was the second-longest punt return in NFL history, behind only Robert Bailey’s 103-yard return in 1994 for the Rams, and it was the second overtime punt return touchdown, after Tamarick Vanover’s 86-yarder for the Chiefs in 1994.
Peterson became the first player in franchise history to return punts for touchdowns in back-to-back games.
Coincidentally, Peterson is the first rookie to win the special teams award since teammate
Peterson leads the NFL with an average of 21.8 yards per punt return.
