Indianapolis Colts punter Rigobert Sanchez has been named the special teams AFC Player of the Week coming off of his performance against the Tennessee Titans.
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— Indianapolis Colts (@Colts) October 16, 2024
In Sunday’s game, Sanchez had five punts and averaged a hefty 54.2 yards per attempt. Of his five kicks, three of them pinned the Titans inside their own 20 yard line, including Sanchez’s final attempt that pinned the Titans at their own three-yard line with only 12 seconds left in the game.
Of the two that were returned, the Colts punt coverage unit held Tennessee to nine total yards.
In a close game like the Colts found themselves in on Sunday, having a punter who can pin the opponent deep and force a struggling Titans’ offense to drive the length of the field, ended up being an important part of securing the win.
The performance that we saw from Sanchez on Sunday has been the norm for him this season. Through six games, Sanchez ranks top 10 in yards per punt attempt and net yards per punt attempt, which takes into account the return by the opponent.
He also has the third-most punts inside the 20 yard line, his return rate is the eighth-lowest, and he’s tied for second in number of fair catches.
For a Colts team that has found themselves in a number of close games, having a punter who can flip the field position battle has proven to be extremely valuable.
Sanchez now becomes the second Colts player, joining cornerback Jaylon Jones, to win an AFC Player of the Week award this season.
