CINCINNATI — NFL players with Cincinnati ties were recognized for their performances helping their teams win by being named Week 7 AFC Players of the Week, and nominated for other awards.


What You Need To Know

  • Joe Burrow was named Week 7 AFC Offensive Player of the Week

  • Sauce Gardner was named the Week 7 AFC Defensive Player of the Week

  • Both players also were nominated for fan-vote awards

Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and former University of Cincinnati and current New York Jets cornerback Sauce Gardner were awarded the accolades for their performances.

Burrow completed 34 of his 42 pass attempts for 481 yards, three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 138.2 rating. He also had a rushing touchdown in Cincinnati’s 35-17 victory against the Atlanta Falcons.

He is the third player in NFL history with at least 475 passing yards, three touchdown passes and one rushing touchdown in a single game, joining Norm Van Brocklin who did it Sept. 28, 1951, and Billy Volek who did it Dec. 19, 2004.

Burrow is tied for second-most Player of the Week awards by a Bengals quarterback, tying Jeff Blake and Andy Dalton. Boomer Esiason has the most with nine.

He previously won the award twice, both in 2021, after his performances in Week 4 and Week 16. He is the third Bengals player to win Player of the Week honors with defensive end Trey Hendrickson winning the award in Week 3 and kicker Evan McPherson winning the award in Week 4.

Burrow is also nominated for the FedEx Air Player of the Week.

Gardner finished Week 7 with 10 tackles and defended three passes, including one in the end zone on fourth down in the last minute of the game, in the Jets’ 16-9 win over Denver.

Gardner had the only AFC performance of at least 10 tackles and three passes defended in Week 7.

The award is the first Defensive Player of the Week honor for Gardner and he is the third-ever Jets rookie to earn it, joining defensive backs Russell Carter who won the award in Week 15 of 1984 and Dee Milliner who won the award in Week 17 of 2013.

Jets punter Braden Mann won Player of the Week in Week 2 and defensive lineman Quinnen Williams won the award in Week 6.

Gardner is also nominated for the Pepsi Zero Sugar Sugar Rookie of the Week.