NFL PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

DRAKE MAYE, CHRISTIAN BENFORD & EVAN MCPHERSON NAMED WEEK 13 AFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NEW YORK — Dec. 3, 2025 — New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye, Buffalo Bills cornerback Christian Benford and Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 13 (November 27-28, November 30-December 1).

OFFENSE: QB DRAKE MAYE, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS

• Maye completed 24 of 31 passes (77.4 percent) for 282 yards and two touchdowns with a 126.0 passer rating in the Patriot’s 33-15 win over the New York Giants on Monday Night Football. He was the only quarterback to complete more than 75 percent of his passes and throw for at least 260 yards in Week 13.
• This is Maye’s first Offensive Player of the Week award and he is the first Patriots quarterback to receive the honor since Tom Brady (Week 11, 2017).
• Maye joins Mitchell Trubisky as the only former University of North Carolina quarterbacks to earn the honor.

DEFENSE: CB CHRISTIAN BENFORD, BUFFALO BILLS

• Benford recorded two tackles, a tackle for loss, an interception and a fumble recovery for a 17-yard touchdown in Buffalo’s 26-7 win at Pittsburgh. He is the first player since Kareem Jackson (Week 14, 2019) to record a tackle for loss, interception and return a fumble for a touchdown in a single game.
• This is Benford’s first Defensive Player of the Week award and he is the fifth Bills cornerback to earn the honor in the past 10 seasons (2016-25), joining Tre’Davious White (Weeks 7 & 15, 2019), Rasul Douglas (Week 17, 2023), Taron Johnson (Week 10, 2024) and Nickell Robey-Coleman (Week 5, 2016).
• Benford is the first former Villanova player to win Defensive Player of the Week and the second to win a Player of the Week award, joining Brian Westbrook (three-time winner).

SPECIAL TEAMS: K EVAN MCPHERSON, CINCINNATI BENGALS

• McPherson converted on all six of his field goal attempts – 31, 42, 24, 33, 52 and 41 – as well as both of his point-after attempts in Cincinnati’s 32-14 win at Baltimore. His 20 points scored and career-high six made field goals are the most by any kicker in a single game this season.
• This is McPherson’s fourth Special Teams Player of the Week award, tying Doug Pelfrey for the most Special Teams Player of the Week awards in team history. 
  • 2021: Weeks 1, 11
  • 2022: Week 4
  • 2025: Week 13
• McPherson joins Pro Football Hall of Famer Emmitt Smith (10-time winner) and Eddy Piñeiro (four) as the only former University of Florida players to earn Player of the Week at least four times.

JORDAN LOVE, ERNEST JONES & RILEY DIXON NAMED WEEK 13 NFC PLAYERS OF THE WEEK

NEW YORK — Dec. 3, 2025 — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love, Seattle Seahawks linebacker Ernest Jones and Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Riley Dixon are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 13 (November 27-28, November 30, December 1).

OFFENSE: QB JORDAN LOVE, GREEN BAY PACKERS

• Love completed 18 of 30 passes (60.0 percent) for 234 yards, four touchdowns and no interceptions in Green Bay’s 31-24 win in Detroit on Thanksgiving. Love was the only NFC quarterback to record four touchdown passes and no interceptions in Week 13.
  
  
  
• This is the fourth-career Offensive Player of the Week award for Love and second this season (Week 8). Love is the third Packers quarterback to win the award four times, joining Aaron Rodgers (14-time winner) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre (12).
  • 2023: Weeks 17, 18
  • 2025: Week 8, 13
    
    
• Love is the only former Utah State player to win four Player of the Week awards.

DEFENSE: LB ERNEST JONES, SEATTLE SEAHAWKS

• Jones recorded 12 tackles and two interceptions, including one he returned for an 85-yard touchdown, in Seattle’s 26-0 win against Minnesota. He became the third player since 2000 to record at least 12 tackles, two interceptions and return an interception for a touchdown in a single game, joining Donnie Edwards (Week 14, 2004) and Rayshawn Jenkins (Week 15, 2022).
  
  
• This is Jones’ first-career Defensive Player of the Week award and he becomes the fourth Seahawks linebacker to earn the honor in the past 10 seasons (2016-25), joining Bobby Wagner (Week 13, 2018 and Week 8, 2020), DeMarcus Lawrence (Week 10, 2025) and Uchenna Nwosu (Week 1, 2022).
  
  
• Jones is the third former South Carolina linebacker to earn Defensive Player of the Week and the first since John Abraham (Week 14, 2013).

SPECIAL TEAMS: P RILEY DIXON, TAMPA BAY BUCCANEERS

• Dixon punted five times and recorded three inside the 20-yard line, with two inside the 10-yard line, in Tampa Bay’s 20-17 win against Arizona. Dixon was the only NFC punter in Week 13 with two punts inside the 10 and ranked second with a 46.8 net yards per punt average among punters with at least five punts. With the Buccaneers up three points with 2:00 remaining in the game, Dixon’s   59-yard punt pinned  the Cardinals offense at the nine-yard line.
  
  
• This is Dixon’s first-career Special Teams Player of the Week award and he is the seventh Buccaneers punter to win earn the honor.
  
  
• Dixon is the second former Syracuse punter to win a Special Teams Player of the Week award, joining Pat O’Neill (Week 16, 1994). 

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