Stephen Gostkowski Named AFC Special Teams Player Of The Week For Second Time In 2016
BOSTON (CBS) -- Patriots kicker Stephen Gostkowski has had a down year by his standards in 2016, but he's come up with at least two big-time performances. One of them came on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, and his efforts have earned him AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors for the second time this season.
On a day where Tom Brady and the Patriots had trouble finding the end zone for most of the game, Gostkowski was 4-for-4 kicking field goals against the Rams, adding two extra points. He made two field goals of 45 yards, one for 48, and another for 28. It was the first time since Sept. 16, 2012 against the Arizona Cardinals that Gostkowski made three field goals of 40-plus yards in a single game.
It is the second time this season that Gostkowski has earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors and the fifth time in his career. He also earned the award after the Patriots' Week 1 win over the Arizona Cardinals. Patriots punter Ryan Allen also earned the award after his performance in Week 3 against the Houston Texans.
Gostkowski's field goal percentage improved from 80 percent to 83.3 percent on the season after his perfect day against the Rams. He has four misses on the season, which is still his worst total since he missed six field goal attempts in 2012. But he picked a good week to come up big for the team.
