The National Football League announced today that Tampa Bay Buccaneers punter Bryan Anger has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 17.
Anger, earning his first career Player of the Week award, punted five times, placing all five punts inside the 20 in Tampa Bay’s 17-16 win against Carolina. His five punts inside the 20 tied for a league high and led the NFC for the week. He had a net average of 45.8 yards, the third-highest mark in the league, allowing zero punt return yards.
Anger finished the 2016 season tied for third in the NFL in punts inside the 20 (37), while posting the fourth-best net punting average (42.7) – both franchise records. His five punts inside the 20 are tied for the most by a Buccaneers punter in a single game dating back to at least 1990 (also Josh Bidwell, 10/16/05 vs. Miami).
Anger is the first Buccaneers punter to earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week since 2005 (Josh Bidwell, Weeks 3 & 6). Anger is the third punter in team history to earn the award, joining Bidwell and Tom Tupa (Week 3, 2003). Kicker Roberto Aguayo was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 11, marking the first time since 2009 that the Buccaneers have had multiple players earn NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors in the same season.