Kicker Matt Prater will be named the Week 14 AFC Special Teams Player of the Week, the league informed the Broncos on Tuesday.
Prater matched his career long with a 59-yard field goal with three seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime. In overtime, Prater ended the game with a 51-yard game winner to give the Broncos a 13-10 victory over the Bears.
Prater joined Mike Vanderjagt (Ind., at Den., 11/24/02) as the only players in NFL history to kick a 50+yard field goal with less than one minute remaining to force overtime and then go on to kick an overtime game-winning kick from 50+yards.
Sunday’s victory over Chicago marked the third consecutive week that Prater has kicked a walk-off field goal. He is the first player since Chris Jacke (Ari., 1998, Weeks 15-17) with game-winning field goals on the final play of the game in three straight week.
With his 51-yard game-winning field goal against the Bears, he improved to 12-of-16 (.750) on career field goal attempts from 50+ yards to pass Tony Zendejas as the most accurate kicker from 50+ yards in NFL history (players who started their careers after 1970 / min. 10 att.). Prater improved to 28-of-29 (.966) on career field goal attempts in the fourth quarter or overtime.
He is just the fourth kicker in NFL history to kick three overtime field goals in a single season and is the third player in NFL history to kick at least four game-winning field goals in a single season.
Prater is the first Bronco to win the Special Teams Player of the Week Award since Week 12 of 2009 when he took the honors after finishing 4-of-4 on field goals to go with five touchbacks on kickoffs in Denver’s 26-6 win against the Giants.
He also won the weekly award in Week 5 of the 2008 season after converting all three field goal attempts to go with four touchbacks on five kickoffs.
-Stuart Zaas
Tags: Matt Prater, Special Teams Player of the Week, Weekly Awards
A tebow fathead … nice … always wanted a Champ or Mashall one back in the day … but I don’t think Marsh had one. Champ def did tho. Tebow, Tebowing …. awesome
Im sure McDaniels is in STL like … broncos are winning with my draft pick … the guy that I traded alot of picks to draft cuz I knew people would want him and I wanted to our scoop em.
Difference however is … i don’t think McD woulda altered his playbook nor do I think he woulda worked well with Tebow … Fox is a players coach … great guy that people love … which is probably why Woodyard feels this year is more like college. A friendly happy atmospher where theres a tight bond and everyone hangs out. But tebow didn’t need the option to survive … people forget he did just well in McDs pass heavy system last year towards the end of the season … passing the ball. Without McD but the same pass heavy system.
Dunno about superbowl … but I know OUR superbowl might be next week … huge game … and huge confidence booster if we win …. will continue our Momentum too … heck whow knows … maybe we rise … Patriots fall and fall again … along with other playoff teams and we end up having first round bye … pipe dream yes I know but would be awesome … Altho bye weeks often hurt more than they help at times … Pacekrs made thier run without it … they just kept trucking. No rust.
TRB
“Behind the play of their young quarterback, the final seven minutes of regulation have been “Tebow Time” for the Denver Broncos”.
Highest Total QBR in 2011
Final 7 Minutes of 4th Qtr
Tim Tebow 96.3
Matt Hasselbeck 94.4
Aaron Rodgers 91.7
Tom Brady 83.0
Eli Manning 81.4
Tim Tebow has helped lead the Broncos back from 4th-quarter deficits in each of their last four games. This season, he has thrown for more yards in the 4th quarter than the first three quarters combined, and his 96.3 Total QBR in the final seven minutes of the 4th quarter is the highest among NFL quarterbacks with at least 40 action plays.
But the Broncos success late in games hasn’t all been about Tebow. Below are nine other reasons why Denver has gone 7-1 over the last eight weeks.
All numbers below are from the final seven minutes of regulation since Week 7, the first game that Tebow started this season.
Bronco Defense
• 6 sacks (T-most in NFL) including 5 by Von Miller and Elvis Dumervil (T-most among any teammates in NFL)
• 13.1 opponent Total QBR (2nd in NFL: Seahawks, 4.1)
• 0 rush TD and 0 20-yard rushes allowed
• 0 pass TD and 0 30-yard passes allowed
• 46.5 completion percentage allowed (6th in NFL) and 2 interceptions (T-6th in NFL)
Punter Britton Colquitt
• 2 punts downed inside the opponent’s 20-yard line (T-5th in NFL) since Week 7 with no touchbacks
• No punts blocked and no punt return TD allowed
• 41.3 net yards per punt (T-7th in NFL, min. 3 punts)
Kicker Matt Prater
• Made 4 of 5 FG attempts (T-most in NFL) including both attempts from at least 45 yards away (most in NFL)
Source: Jason Starrett – ESPN
Well maybe not all about Tebow but it certainly has a direct correlation since he took over… lol!
THAT was the “ENTIRE TEAM” effort!!! The most complete “TEAM WIN” I have seen in years. While our WR’s had early game drops – even they made up for it late in the game.
GREAT TEAM WIN!!!
GO BRONCOS!!!
Guess Coop and the other journalist didn’t have anything to say about last week’s game.
coop heard you, his blog up
WOW thanks Coop! I feel like my voice matters. LOL