St. Louis Rams rookie wide receiver Tavon Austin finally broke out in Week 10.
Austin's electric 98-yard punt return for a touchdown earned him the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week award. The rookie also had receiving touchdowns of 81 and 57 yards. With any luck, this week won't just be an aberration.
Sticking in the NFC, Drew Brees led the New Orleans Saints to a record-setting 40 first downs in Sunday's win over the Dallas Cowboys, which earned him the conference's Offensive Player of the Week. Brees completed 34 of 41 passes (82.9 percent) for 392 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions and a 139.0 passer rating.
Rounding out the NFC awards is Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly, who had 11 tackles, a sack and a pass defensed in a huge 10-9 win over the San Francisco 49ers. We're running out of superlatives to describe Kuechly's play.
Over in the AFC, Demaryius Thomas' dynamic three-touchdown performance won him the Offensive Player of the Week award. Thomas had seven receptions for 108 yards.
Linebacker Paul Posluszny won the Defensive Player of the Week award for his instrumental play in leading the Jacksonville Jaguars to their first win of the season. The linebacker had eight tackles, plus a forced fumble and recovery.
Baltimore Ravens kicker Justin Tucker's game-winning field goal in overtime against the Cincinnati Bengals earned him the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award. His kick kept the Ravens in the thick of the AFC North race.
NFL Media will announce the players of the week every Wednesday on NFL Network's "NFL AM." The list of Week 9 winners is right here.
The latest "Around The League Podcast" recapped every Week 10 game. Click here to listen and subscribe.
