The National Football League has announced its Players of the Week for Week 16 of the 2023 season, showcasing outstanding performances from both conferences.
AFC Offensive Player of the Week: Amari Cooper (WR, Cleveland Browns)
- Achievements: 11 receptions, 265 receiving yards, 2 receiving touchdowns.
- Milestones: Cooper becomes the sixth player ever with four career games of 200+ receiving yards. This is his fourth career Player of the Week honor, previously winning in 2017 (Week 7 with Raiders), 2018 (Weeks 12 & 14 with Cowboys), and now 2023 (Week 16 with Browns). Remarkably, he’s the first wide receiver to win Offensive Player of the Week (OPOW) with three different teams and joins Julio Jones as the second former Alabama wide receiver to earn the honor four times.
AFC Defensive Player of the Week: Kyle Hamilton (S, Baltimore Ravens)
- Achievements: 5 tackles, pass deflections, 3 interceptions.
- Notable Stats: Hamilton is the third defensive back since 2000 with 10+ tackles for loss (10), 10+ pass deflections (13), and 4+ interceptions (4) in a season. This is his first Player of the Week award. He joins Ed Reed and Eric Weddle as the third Ravens safety in the past 20 seasons to win the Defensive Player of the Week (DPOW). Hamilton also becomes the fifth former Notre Dame safety to earn this honor.
AFC Special Teams Player of the Week: Jason Sanders (K, Miami Dolphins)
- Achievements: 5/5 on field goals (57, 52, 54, 35, game-winning 29-yarder), totaling 16 kicking points.
- Records: Sanders is the first Dolphins player to convert three 50+ yard field goals in a single game. This is his fifth career Player of the Week award, with previous wins in 2019 (Weeks 10 & 13) and 2020 (Weeks 5 & 16). He also becomes the first Dolphins player to win Special Teams Player of the Week (STPOW) five times and is the only former New Mexico player to earn the honor multiple times.
NFC Standouts: Breaking Records and Setting Benchmarks
NFC Offensive Player of the Week: Puka Nacua (WR, Los Angeles Rams)
- Achievements: 9 receptions, 180 scrimmage yards (164 receiving, 16 rushing), 2 receiving touchdowns.
- Highlights: Nacua is the fifth rookie in NFL history with three games of 150+ scrimmage yards. He is the first Rams player to win OPOW since Eddie Kennison in Week 16 of 1999, and the first former BYU wide receiver to receive this honor.
NFC Defensive Player of the Week: Ifeatu Melifonwu (S, Detroit Lions)
- Stats: 5 tackles, 2 pass deflections, 1 interception.
- Recognition: Melifonwu is the first defensive back since 2000 with a stat line of 5+ tackles, 2+ sacks, 2+ pass deflections, and an interception in a single game. This is his first Player of the Week award, making him the fourth Lions safety to earn this honor since 2014 and the first since 2019.
NFC Special Teams Player of the Week: Younghoe Koo (K, Atlanta Falcons)
- Achievements: 5/5 on field goals, contributing significantly to the team’s scoring.
- Accolades: This is Koo’s fourth career Player of the Week award, previously winning in 2019 (Weeks 10 & 14) and 2023 (Week 7). He becomes the third Falcons kicker to earn the honor four or more times, joining Morten Andersen (seven times) and Matt Bryant (five times). Koo is also the first former Georgia Southern player to win STPOW four or more times.
In conclusion, Week 16 of the NFL season showcased exceptional talents across both conferences, with players breaking records and achieving personal milestones, significantly impacting their teams’ performances and the league’s history.
