Cardinals’ Chandler Catanzaro wins NFC special teams honor
Dec 16, 2015, 8:11 AM
Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro (7) kicks a field goal as Drew Butler (2) holds during the second half of an NFL football game against the Minnesota Vikings, Thursday, Dec. 10, 2015, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Arizona Cardinals kicker Chandler Catanzaro has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his effort last week in a win over the Minnesota Vikings.
The second-year player kicked three field goals, including a 47-yarder with 1:23 left in the game that proved to be the winning margin as the Cardinals notched their seventh straight victory, 27-23.
Catanzaro also connected from 27 and 23 yards in the game.
The weekly honor is the third in Catanzaro’s short career. As a rookie, he won the award twice — in Week 6 against Washington and in Week 15 against the St. Louis Rams.
He’s also the fourth Cardinal to win a weekly NFC honor this season, joining David Johnson (special teams, Week 2), Tyrann Mathieu (defense, Week 3) and Larry Fitzgerald (offense, Week 2).
For the season, Catanzaro has 92.6 percent of his field goal attempts (25-of-27) and 93.6 percent (44-of-47) of his extra point tries. He ranks third in the league with 119 points through 13 games, trailing only New England’s Stephen Gostkowski (124 pts.) and Carolina’s Graham Gano (123).
The former Clemson Tiger also has two game-winning field goals to his credit. His 32-yarder with :02 left gave the Cardinals a 34-31 win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 11.
