Gunner Olszewski had a career day vs the Chargers, finishing with a punt return touchdown and a receiving touchdown. Could Olszewski turn into a valuable piece for the Patriots offense?
For the second straight week -- and the third time in five weeks -- a New England Patriot has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
And it's no surprise which player was honored for his performance in Week 13 against the Chargers.
Gunner Olszewski earned the honor for his exploits on punt returns where he returned one kick 70 yards for his first career touchdown and later returned another punt 61 yards, setting the Patriots up in prime field position. The score was especially sweet for Olszewski, who had a touchdown wiped off the board in Week 12 thanks to a penalty.
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With those two returns, Olszewski became the first player in team history to have two punt returns for at least 60 yards in the same game, and his 145 total punt return yards are the second-most in a single game in franchise history, trailing only Patriot Hall of Famer Mike Haynes, who racked up 156 punt return yards in a game in 1976.
Olszewski reacted to the honor on Twitter, where he made sure to credit his teammates for making his returns possible.
Olszewski's teammates salute his efforts on Twitter
And if his exploits on special teams weren't enough, Olszewski also added another touchdown, a 38-yard reception from Jarrett Stidham that capped the scoring in New England's 45-0 victory.
Olszewski's honor comes on the heels of Nick Folk being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in both Week 9 and Week 12 for his buzzer-beating game-winning field goals from 50+ yards against the Jets and Cardinals.
