When Zane Gonzalez first arrived in Arizona later in the 2018 season, all the kicker wanted to do was reset what had been a tumultuous brief NFL career.
Gonzalez has done just that, an effort underscored with a fantastic half-season in 2019 so far that was punctuated by earning NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October.
Gonzalez, who leads the NFL in scoring with 76 points, had 42 of the points in four games against the Bengals, Falcons, Giants and Saints. He made 11 of 12 field-goal attempts, including the game-winning 31-yarder on the final play in Cincinnati. He also made all nine of his extra-point tries.
For the season, Gonzalez is 21-of-24 in field goals and has made all 13 extra-point attempts. In just eight games, he has already set career-best totals in points and field goals.
Gonzalez is the third Cardinal to win a league award in the last month. Quarterback Kyler Murray and linebacker Chandler Jones each won an NFC Player of the Week award in October.
The last Cardinal to win a Special Teams Player of the Month award was gunner/cover man Justin Bethel, who captured the honor in December of 2014. The most recent time a Cardinal won a Player of the Month award was Jones, who took the defensive honor in December of 2017. Running back David Johnson is the most recent player of the month winner on offense, having done that in October of 2016.
