In what should be a surprise to no one, Denver Broncos kicker Wil Lutz has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his walk-off field goal for a huge win over the Chiefs on Sunday.
It was a win that made Aqib Talib say, “Sh*t just got real for the AFC West.”
After the game when head coach Sean Payton was asked about Lutz, a guy he brought to Denver two years ago after being his coach in New Orleans, was not surprised in the least by Lutz’s veins of ic.
“Five-for-five. He had a great night.
I saw it in New Orleans,” Payton said. “That’s why he’s here.”
The best part of the ending was that it was almost identical to the game in Arrowhead last November when Lutz’s 36-yard kick was blocked and Chiefs got away with a one-point victory.
The irony was not lost on Lutz.
“Saw it the whole way,” he laughed. “The whole way onto the field obviously it’s something you think about. When you’re part of a loss like that you don’t just forget about it, right? When I looked down and saw we were on the line again making it a 35-yard field goal I was kind of like, ‘Shoot, here we are.’ …I’ve been waiting for a game like that, so it was nice to play a big part in it.”
The five-for-five tied a career-high and was his 13th career game-winning field goal. Finishing with 16 points in the game, he became the fourth fastest kicker in NFL history to reach 1,100 career points in just his 142nd game.
This season, Lutz has made 17-of-20 field goals (.850) and has converted on all 24 of his extra point opportunities for 75 points. His three field goals of 50+ yards are tied for 11th most in the NFL this year while his 17 total field goals made are tied for 12th most.
This is Lutz’s seventh weekly recognition of his career and third as a Broncos after earning it in Weeks 3 and 12 in 2024. This also marks the third time a Bronco has been named AFC Player of the Week this season, along with outside linebackers Nik Bonitto (Week 5) and Jonathon Cooper (Week 6).
Acquired via trade by Denver in 2023, the nine-year veteran has also been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month twice (November of 2023 and October of 2025) during his time with the Broncos.
Lutz is the fourth Broncos kicker to earn Player of the Week honors, along with Brandon McManus (2020, ’21), Matt Prater (2008, ’09, ’11, ’12, ’13) and Jason Elam (1998, ’99, 2003, ’04, ’07, ’08, ’09). Since its inception in 1993, a Bronco has won AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors 37 times.
Originally signing with Baltimore as a college free agent in 2016, Lutz ultimately signed with New Orleans prior to the start of the regular season that year. Since entering the NFL, he is tied for the most extra points made (385), second in points scored (1,114) and sixth in field goals made (243).
After the Chiefs game, he noted the team culture in Denver is as good as it gets — and a big part of it started after the game a year ago with the blocked kick.
“I agree it was a turning point for sure. I mean, you saw what we did after that game, right?” Lutz said. “But I think we knew before that game last year that we had the right guys. It was never a question if we had the right guys in the locker room. …You look at the last year-and-a-half since that game, this team has come together, we’ve found ways to win close games. …It’s a lot of fun to do with the guys you love and when you have a locker room like this.”
