Patriots News

Nick Folk Named AFC Special Teams Player Of The Week

Robert Alvarez Staff Writer

Nov 2, 2022 at 6:38 pm ET 1 min read 3k views

Oct 16, 2022; Cleveland, Ohio, USA; New England Patriots kicker Nick Folk (6) kicks a field goal on a hold by punter Jake Bailey (7) against the Cleveland Browns during the fourth quarter at FirstEnergy Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports — Photo: Scott Galvin-USA TODAY Sports

1 min read Patriots News

New England Patriots kicker Nick Folk was named the AFC Special Teams Player of The Week on Wednesday.

During the Patriots’ win over the New York Jets, Folk connected on all five field goals (31, 42, 49, 45, and 52) to tie his career-high for most in a single game. It is the fifth time overall and second time in 2022 that Folk connected on five field goals in a game. Folk also had five field goals during a win over the Detroit Lions on Oct. 9th.

Over his NFL career, Folk has earned eight Player of The Week awards, with four coming as a Patriot.

During his Wednesday morning press conference, head coach Bill Belichick had some high praise for the kicker. Belichick even went as far as referencing two past Patriots legends when discussing his success.

“Nick’s really good,” Belichick said. “Of all the kickers (I’ve coached), he’s probably the smartest — they were all smart, but really just professional. Totally understanding everything about kicking. Adam (Vinatieri) and Steve (Gostkowski) were probably a little more talented, but just in terms of the fundamentals, the execution, the consistency, Nick’s really good. I mean, Adam’s really good, too, you’re talking about a Hall of Fame kicker. Honestly, all three of those guys could be. They’re pretty good. I’ve been very fortunate.”

The consistency Folk has brought over the last three seasons to the Patriots continues a 25-plus-year run of stability at the position for the franchise.

It remains unknown whether or not all three kickers Belichick referenced make it into the Hall of Fame, but it’s clear he is very fortunate to have coached them all.