San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel is starting to garner acclaim and recognition beyond the Bay Area, and Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes is beginning to receive the accolades and acknowledgement this year that were constant in previous seasons.
Mahomes and Samuel led the NFL's weekly honor roll, as the Players of the Week were revealed on Wednesday morning.
In a 41-14 drubbing of the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday night, Mahomes had a huge outing for the Chiefs to earn AFC Offensive Player of the Week. He threw season-highs of 406 yards and five touchdowns. Mahomes completed 70% of his passes, had a 127.6 passer rating and threw no interceptions.
Samuel was the catalyst in the 49ers' 31-10 upset of the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night and was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week for the second time in three weeks. Often lining up in the backfield as well as out wide and in the slot, Samuel ran for and caught touchdowns. He had five receptions for 97 yards and five carries for 36 yards to go with his two total TDs.
AFC Defensive Player of the Week was won by Miami Dolphins cornerback Xavien Howard. In the Dolphins' 22-10 upset of the Baltimore Ravens on Thursday, Howard racked up a 49-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown to go along with a forced fumble and five tackles.
In a close 23-17 win against the Jacksonville Jaguars, the Indianapolis Colts' E.J. Speed played a pivotal role as he returned a blocked punt 12 yards for a touchdown. Speed also had a special teams tackle en route to being named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week went to Philadelphia Eagles cornerback Darius Slay. Slay had a game-changing 83-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown in the Eagles' 30-13 victory against the Denver Broncos. Slay also notched five tackles and a tackle for a loss.
Carolina Panthers kicker Zane Gonzalez booted home a perfect Sunday and brought home NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. In the Panthers' 34-10 win over the Cardinals, Gonzalez made good on all four of his field goal tries, converting from 44, 48, 49 and 27 yards. He tacked on two extra points in as many tries.