Myles Garrett, Dustin Hopkins earn AFC Player of the Week awards for Browns win over Colts

BEREA — Myles Garrett and Dustin Hopkins were the reason why the Browns had a chance to go on a game-winning drive in the final 2:35 of Sunday's game at the Indianapolis Colts. That's why, on Wednesday, the two were recognized by the NFL for their performances.

Garrett was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. Hopkins, for the second week in a row, was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

"Very well deserving, so whoever votes on that, they got this one right," Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said Wednesday. "Dustin's been awesome. I enjoy having him around. A good person, fits really well with our team. He was a game captain last week, the guys made him a game captain and then he came through and played like that kick like that. And then Myles, I mean, yeah, I'm running out of, you guys are the wordsmiths. He's doing things that not many humans can do."

It's the first time the Browns have had two AFC Players of the Week since linebacker Pepper Johnson (Defensive) and punt returner Eric Metcalf (Special Teams) won the award for their performance in a win over the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8 of the 1994 season.

It's the third time Garrett has been honored as Defensive Player of the Week. He earned it for his performance in a Week 4, 2020, win at the Dallas Cowboys and a Week 3, 2021, win over the Chicago Bears.

"He's not real," Garrett's teammate, defensive end Ogbo Okoronkwo, said of him after the game. "If I was playing a video game and I was making my player, he has every stat up to 99. … So it's really just crazy to see this, the type of player and person he is day in and day out. A blessing, honestly, to play next to him. What a game."

Hopkins, who has been Special Teams Player of the Week six times, is the first player to win back-to-back AFC or NFC Player of the Week honors since Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen was AFC Offensive Player of the Week in Weeks 5 and 6 of last season. He joins Allen (AFC Offensive Player of the Week, Weeks 2 and 4) Philadelphia Eagles kicker Jake Elliott (NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, Weeks 1 and 4) as two-time Player of the Week winners this season.

"For me professionally, that was probably the best game I've ever had," Hopkins said. Wednesday. "Anytime life events happen, really good or really bad, I try to take a step back and evaluate what I'm feeling, what I'm thinking. It's funny, because afterwards I didn't feel any different than I did before. It's good and I was obviously happy that we won and glad to be a part of a team win and a lot of good things happened."

Myles Garrett: Browns DE elevates over Colts in 'big moments when you got to make a play'

Both players' fingerprints were all over the Browns' 39-38 win over the Colts.

Garrett had two sacks, resulting in fumbles by Indianapolis quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Not only that, but both also led to Browns touchdowns.

The first, which was recovered by linebacker Anthony Walker Jr. at the Colts 36 with 1:23 remaining in the first quarter, was turned into a Kareem Hunt touchdown run that tied the game at 14-14. The second, which occurred in the end zone, was recovered by linebacker Tony Fields II for a touchdown to give the Browns a 24-21 lead with 1:42 remaining in the first half.

However, the play which may have solidified the all-around performance by the All-Pro defensive end came with 10:16 remaining in the second quarter. The Colts were lined up to try a 60-yard Matt Gay field goal when Garrett leaped over the center and right guard at the snap, blocking the field goal.

"I've actually done it a couple of times throughout the years," Garrett said after the game. "Every now and then just to keep our offense or keep our special teams honest, just for fun. I think (assistant head coach/special teams coordinator) Bubba (Ventrone) went into the archives and saw it and he was like, yeah, we got to bring this out and we had a candidate in the Colts who allowed us to jump over and I made the play."

Denzel Ward recovered the block and returned it to the Colts 26. Hopkins would eventually kick a 44-yard field goal to give the Browns a 17-14 lead.

That was the first of four Hopkins field goals, the second consecutive game in which he made four field goals. That was also the shortest of his kicks on the day.

Hopkins had a pair of 54-yard kicks — the first right at the half to give the Browns a 27-21 lead; the second with 9:23 left in the third quarter to make it 30-21. He then connected on a career-long 58-yard field goal to give the Browns a 33-31 lead with 6:33 remaining in the game.

The three 50-yard kicks made Hopkins the first kicker in NFL history to make at least one 50-plus-yard field goal in five consecutive games. It also made him 7-for-7 on kicks from at least 50 on the season, tying Phil Dawson for a single-season team record.

"It's interesting because early on I've always felt like coming out of college it was one of my strong suits," Hopkins said of long field goals. "Then I think over the course of time, maybe you play for certain teams that don't like to kick long field goals, or other guys get more 50-plus opportunities. … There's no magic pill that's like, I've changed this and this is what's happening. I've tried to improve every year and maybe this is a culmination of all those years adding up, or maybe it's not, but I don't feel any different."

Hopkins, who was acquired in an Aug. 28 trade with the Los Angeles Chargers in exchange for a 2025 seventh-round pick, came into this season 15-of-30 over the first nine years of his career with Washington and Los Angeles. He's now 16-of-18 on all field goal tries this season.

Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on Twitter at @ceasterlingABJ

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Myles Garrett, Dustin Hopkins earn AFC Player of the Week honors