ATL Standard

KhaDarel Hodge has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week, as announced by the NFL on Wednesday. The recognition comes after Hodge's standout performance in the Atlanta Falcons' Monday night victory against the Las Vegas Raiders, where he recorded a blocked punt and tipped another.

Hodge shared his approach to the game, stating, "My mentality is to die by every snap. I try to leave it all out there on the field every snap I can get."

This season, Hodge has consistently made impactful plays. In Week 4, he scored a touchdown off a muffed punt against the New Orleans Saints. He also secured an overtime win for Atlanta with a walk-off touchdown in Week 5 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and disrupted a fake punt attempt by Tampa Bay in Week 8.

Hodge is among only two special teams players with both a blocked punt and fumble recovery this season. He stands alone as having achieved both a special teams touchdown and blocked punt.

This accolade marks Hodge's first NFC Player of the Week honor and represents the fifth time this season that a Falcons player has received such recognition. Quarterback Kirk Cousins was honored twice as offensive player of the week in Weeks 5 and 8, while safety Jessie Bates III and inside linebacker Troy Andersen received defensive honors in Weeks 2 and 4 respectively.

The last Falcons special teams player to earn this award was Younghoe Koo in 2023.

Punter Bradley Pinion praised Hodge's achievements: "If he is not in the Pro Bowl, I don't know — it's rigged," said Pinion. "Because he has a touchdown on punt and two blocked punts. That's an exceptional season within itself, much less one game. So, it's super, super cool to see that Hodge. Hodge works his tail off. Phenomenal teammate. Phenomenal gunner. Phenomenal wide receiver."