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Home › Patriots Blog › 2018 Patriots Regular Season
2018 Patriots Regular Season

Dont’a Hightower Named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Robert Alvarez
Robert Alvarez Staff Writer
Oct 24, 2018 at 4:59 pm ET · 1 min read · 1.3k views
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1 min read 2018 Patriots Regular Season

On Wednesday, the New England Patriots announced that Dont’a Hightower was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance during the Patriots 38-31 victory over the Chicago Bears on Sunday.

According to the team press release, the honor marks the second time in Hightower’s career that he has won a Player of the Week Award, the first coming during Week 6 in 2016 when he earned an AFC Defensive Player of the Week Award after recording 13 tackles and a sack in the end zone for a safety against the Cincinnati Bengals.

On Sunday, Hightower blocked a punt that was recovered and returned for a 29 yard touchdown by Kyle Van Noy. The score broke a 24-24 tie in the third quarter and put the Patriots in the lead for good.

The blocked punt return for a touchdown was the first for the Patriots since 1996.

Hightower’s selection marks the first Patriot to receive an AFC weekly honor during the 2018 season.

https://twitter.com/KVN_03/status/1054123565363195905

Appreciate it big homie!! #backerhood https://t.co/o8I7K4dlUb

— Dont'a Hightower (@zeus30hightower) October 21, 2018

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