Cardinals’ Chad Ryland wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

Arizona Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award on Wednesday for his six-field goal performance against the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday.

Ryland sealed the 18-16 win for Arizona with a 43-yard field goal as time expired, finishing 6-for-6. The Cardinals won a game without scoring a touchdown for the first time since 2017.

“It’s just staying in the moment and not looking too far ahead or in the past,” Ryland told Arizona Sports’ Wolf & Luke on Monday.

“You kind of got to bring yourself back to neutral and not get emotionally hijacked, because it’s easy to get fired up when we’re rattling off kicks. I’ve been there before, but that’s part of growing and starting to become more of a veteran player in this league is understand the situation and what I need to do to help the team win.”

Cardinals kicker Chad Ryland has been named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his six field goals in Sunday’s win over the Rams.
 
It’s Ryland’s first career selection as a Player of the Week.

He’s the ninth kicker in team history to be selected as the NFC Special…

— Tyler Drake (@Tdrake4sports) October 21, 2026

Ryland made field goals of 34, 30, 22, 38, 27 and 43 yards. The Cardinals’ offense worked five drives of at least eight plays but had trouble deep in enemy territory, giving Ryland chances to clean up.

The kicker is 14-for-16 on field goals this season, his third with the Cardinals, and he has not missed from inside 50 yards.

His 54 points scored, including 12-for-12 on extra points, are tied for fourth in the NFL.

The NFC Offensive Player of the Week was Chicago Bears quarterback Caleb Williams, while New Orleans Saints cornerback Martin Emerson won on the defensive side.

The three winners in the AFC were Houston Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud, Pittsburgh Steelers defensive back Jalen Ramsey and Tennessee Titans running back Julius Chestnut for special teams.

Cardinals wide receiver Simi Fehoko won the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Arizona’s season-opening win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 1.

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