0
0
From Joe Burrow’s four-touchdown performance to D.J. Wonnum’s game-changing blocked field goal, the NFL’s Week 7 honors celebrate six players who delivered when their teams needed them most.
Week 7 of the NFL season brought big-time passing, defensive performances that rewrote the record book and a special-teams play that helped decide a rivalry game at the final whistle.
The league announced its AFC and NFC Players of the Week on Oct. 28, 2026, recognizing six players across offense, defense and special teams. Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow and Atlanta Falcons quarterback Michael Penix Jr. earned offensive honors, while Denver Broncos linebacker Alex Singleton and Minnesota Vikings linebacker Blake Cashman were recognized for their defensive performances. Cincinnati punter Ryan Rehkow and Detroit Lions edge defender D.J. Wonnum rounded out the group with pivotal special-teams contributions.
Some players filled the stat sheet. Others made history. And in Detroit, one blocked kick helped set up a walk-off winner.
Here is how all six players earned their Week 7 recognition.
AFC Players of the Week: Cincinnati’s Offense Delivers
Offensive Player of the Week: Joe Burrow, Cincinnati Bengals
Joe Burrow gave Cincinnati a statement performance in its 35-13 road victory over the Baltimore Ravens, completing 22 of 30 passes for 292 yards and four touchdowns.
Burrow completed 73.3% of his attempts and finished with a 143.3 passer rating, leading the NFL in both touchdown passes and passer rating during Week 7.
The performance added another milestone to the Bengals quarterback’s growing résumé. Burrow recorded his 32nd career game with at least three touchdown passes, tying Pro Football Hall of Famer Peyton Manning for the third-most such games by a player in his first seven NFL seasons.
The award also puts Burrow in a tie for the most Player of the Week honors in Bengals history. His ninth Offensive Player of the Week selection matches former Cincinnati quarterback Boomer Esiason, who also earned the honor nine times.
Burrow’s nine awards are also the most by any former LSU player.
Why it matters: Burrow’s four-touchdown outing was more than a productive afternoon. It reinforced his place among the NFL’s most prolific passers and helped Cincinnati secure a decisive win over a division rival.
Defensive Player of the Week: Alex Singleton, Denver Broncos
Alex Singleton made sure Denver’s defense had a presence on nearly every snap in the Broncos’ 30-16 win over the Arizona Cardinals.
The linebacker led the league with 19 tackles in Week 7 and added a sack, delivering a performance that combined relentless pursuit with pressure on the quarterback.
Singleton’s tackle total also placed him in notable historical company. He has now recorded at least 19 tackles in three games, the second-most such performances by any NFL player since 2000. Only London Fletcher, with four, has more.
His production has been just as impressive across the season. Singleton’s 87 tackles lead the NFL, ranking third among players through their teams’ first seven games since 2000. Only Zaire Franklin and Pro Football Hall of Famer Zach Thomas, who each recorded 88 in the corresponding span of their respective seasons, have posted more.
The award is Singleton’s first Player of the Week honor. He becomes the 11th Denver linebacker to win Defensive Player of the Week and the fifth Broncos linebacker to earn the recognition during the past 10 seasons.
Singleton also joins Troy Andersen and Pro Football Hall of Famer Jan Stenerud as the third former Montana State player to earn a Player of the Week award.
Why it matters: Tackles do not always tell the full story of a defensive performance, but Singleton paired his league-leading total with a sack. His ability to consistently find the football has made him one of the NFL’s most productive defenders through seven games.
Special Teams Player of the Week: Ryan Rehkow, Cincinnati Bengals
Burrow was not the only Bengal making a difference against Baltimore.
Punter Ryan Rehkow helped Cincinnati control field position by landing all four of his punts inside the 20-yard line. Three landed inside the 10, including one inside the five.
Rehkow averaged 46.0 net yards per punt, the league’s best mark for Week 7 among punters with at least four attempts. His three punts inside the 10-yard line also tied for the most by any player in a single game this season.
This is Rehkow’s first Player of the Week award and just the second time a Bengals punter has earned Special Teams Player of the Week. He joins Kevin Huber, who received the honor in Week 13 of the 2013 season.
Rehkow also becomes the second former BYU player to win the award, joining Taysom Hill.
Why it matters: Special teams can quietly shape a game long before the final score. By repeatedly pinning Baltimore deep in its own territory, Rehkow gave Cincinnati’s defense a valuable advantage and helped the Bengals control the field-position battle.
NFC Players of the Week: Big Numbers and Bigger Moments
Offensive Player of the Week: Michael Penix Jr., Atlanta Falcons
Michael Penix Jr. delivered an efficient performance in Atlanta’s 29-20 win over the San Francisco 49ers, completing 25 of 34 passes for 213 yards and three touchdowns without throwing an interception.
Penix completed 73.5% of his attempts and finished with a 118.9 passer rating. He was the only NFC quarterback in Week 7 to record at least three touchdown passes, no interceptions and a completion percentage of 70% or better.
The honor marks Penix’s first career Offensive Player of the Week award. He becomes the 11th quarterback in Falcons history to receive the recognition and Atlanta’s first since Kirk Cousins won it in Week 8 of 2024.
Penix also becomes the sixth former University of Washington quarterback to earn Offensive Player of the Week, joining a group that includes Pro Football Hall of Famer Warren Moon, three-time winners Mark Brunell and Chris Chandler, Jake Browning and Damon Huard.
Why it matters: Penix did not need a massive passing-yard total to make an impact. Three touchdown passes without a turnover, paired with efficient completion numbers, helped Atlanta earn a nine-point victory over San Francisco.
Defensive Player of the Week: Blake Cashman, Minnesota Vikings
Blake Cashman put together one of the most unusual defensive stat lines of the season in Minnesota’s 16-10 win over Indianapolis.
The Vikings linebacker recorded 12 tackles, four passes defended and two sacks — a combination that had not been achieved by any player in a single game since 2000.
That is production across three distinct parts of the defensive game: stopping ball carriers, disrupting passing attempts and bringing down the quarterback.
The award is Cashman’s second career Defensive Player of the Week honor. He previously earned the recognition in Week 6 of the 2023 season with Houston.
Cashman is also the fifth Vikings player to earn a Player of the Week award this season. Minnesota’s previous recipients were Isaiah Rodgers, Myles Price and Will Reichard for special teams in Weeks 2, 3 and 4, respectively, and Byron Murphy for defense in Week 5.
Cashman becomes the fourth former University of Minnesota player to win multiple Defensive Player of the Week awards, joining Karl Mecklenburg, Tyrone Carter and Antoine Winfield Jr.
Why it matters: Cashman’s performance shows how a defender can influence almost every phase of a passing play. He tackled runners, broke up passes and pressured the quarterback, helping Minnesota hold Indianapolis to 10 points in a six-point victory.
Special Teams Player of the Week: D.J. Wonnum, Detroit Lions
Some special-teams plays flip field position. Others change the outcome of a game.
D.J. Wonnum delivered the latter for Detroit.
With 3:25 remaining in the fourth quarter of the Lions’ matchup against Green Bay, Wonnum blocked a go-ahead field-goal attempt. The block gave Detroit possession and an opportunity to respond.
The Lions used the remaining time to move into position for kicker Jake Bates, who connected on a 22-yard field goal as time expired to secure Detroit’s 20-17 victory over the Packers.
Wonnum’s block was the defining special-teams moment of the game, helping turn a potential Green Bay lead into a Detroit walk-off win.
It is Wonnum’s first career Player of the Week award. He becomes the second Lions player to earn Special Teams Player of the Week, joining Jalen Reeves-Maybin, who won in Week 13 of 2023.
Wonnum is also the sixth former South Carolina position player to receive the honor, joining Robert Brooks, Damiere Byrd, Pharoh Cooper, Lance Laury and Keisean Nixon.
Why it matters: A blocked field goal is a change of possession with enormous consequences. Wonnum’s play denied Green Bay the chance to take the lead and gave Detroit the opening it needed to win on the final kick.
What Week 7’s Awards Tell Us
The six honorees delivered in very different ways, but their performances shared one theme: impact.
- Burrow and Penix led their teams with touchdown-heavy performances while maintaining impressive passing efficiency.
- Singleton and Cashman demonstrated two different forms of defensive dominance — one through relentless tackling and pressure, the other through a rare combination of tackles, pass breakups and sacks.
- Rehkow helped Cincinnati win the field-position battle, while Wonnum made the play that directly set up Detroit’s game-winning kick.
The week also brought meaningful career milestones. Burrow tied Esiason for the most Player of the Week awards in Bengals history, Singleton earned his first honor after leading the league in tackles for the week, and Penix and Wonnum each picked up their first career awards.
For Cincinnati, the recognition was especially notable: Burrow and Rehkow both earned honors after the same win over Baltimore, highlighting how offense and special teams can complement each other in a decisive divisional matchup.
Week 7 offered a reminder that winning football is not limited to the players who score touchdowns. It also belongs to the defenders who disrupt an opponent’s rhythm, the punters who pin teams deep and the special-teams players who create the moment that changes everything.
Source attribution: National Football League (NFL), AFC and NFC Players of the Week announcements, Oct. 28, 2026.
About the Author
