Mayfield, Gardner-Johnson, Smith-Marsette named NFC Players of the Week

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Baker Mayfield, Philadelphia Eagles safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson, and New York Giants wide receiver Ihmir Smith-Marsette are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for Week 17, the league announced Tuesday.

OFFENSE: 

• Mayfield completed 27 of 32 pass attempts (84.4 percent) for 359 yards and five touchdowns with no interceptions and a 153.0 passer rating in the Buccaneers’ 48-14 win over Carolina. Mayfield became the fifth player in NFL history with a completion percentage of 80-or-higher, at least 350 pass yards, five touchdown passes and a passer rating of 150-or-higher, joining Tom Brady (Oct. 21, 2007 and Oct. 18, 2009, both with New England), Aaron Rodgers (Oct. 20, 2019 with Green Bay), Ben Roethlisberger (Oct. 26, 2014 with Pittsburgh) and Deshaun Watson (Oct. 6, 2019 with Houston).

• This is the sixth-career Offensive Player of the Week award for Mayfield and third with Tampa Bay, tying Brad Johnson for the most-ever by a Buccaneers quarterback.

  • 2018: Week 16 (Browns)

  • 2020: Week 7 (Browns)

  • 2022: Week 14 (Rams)

  • 2023: Week 15 (Buccaneers)

  • 2024: Weeks 15, 17 (Buccaneers)

• Mayfield becomes the third former Oklahoma player to win six Offensive Player of the Week awards, joining Adrian Peterson (nine-time winner) and Kyler Murray (six).

DEFENSE: 

• Gardner-Johnson recorded two interceptions, including a 69-yard interception-return touchdown, in Philadelphia’s 41-7 victory over Dallas, finishing as the only player in Week 17 to record a defensive touchdown. His 94 interception-return yards were also the most in the NFL last week.

• This is the first Defensive Player of the Week award for Gardner-Johnson, joining Pro Football Hall of Famer Brian Dawkins (three-time winner), Malcolm Jenkins (two), Kurt Coleman and Wes Hopkins as the only Eagles safeties to win the award.

• Gardner-Johnson becomes the second former University of Florida safety to win Defensive Player of the Week, joining Louis Oliver (two-time winner).

SPECIAL TEAMS: 

• Smith-Marsette recorded a 100-yard kickoff-return touchdown in the Giants’ 45-33 victory over the Colts, marking the longest kickoff-return in the NFL in Week 17 and tied for the longest kickoff-return by a player in the league this season.

• This is the first-career Special Teams Player of the Week award for Smith-Marsette, becoming the third Giants non-kicker/punter to win Special Teams Player of the Week in the past five seasons (2020-24), joining Gunner Olszewski (Week 17, 2023) and Isaiah Simmons (Week 5, 2024).

• Smith-Marsette becomes the first former Iowa Hawkeye wide receiver to win Special Teams Player of the Week.