Johnny Hekker is having himself quite a week. After a historic performance on Monday night against the Chicago Bears where he became the first player in the last 30 years to pin at least five punts inside the 10-yard line, Hekker was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week. He also wore a mic for the game, which made for a highly entertaining video shared by the Rams.
Then on Thursday, the NFL announced that Hekker has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October. It’s the second time in his career that he’s won the award, with the first coming in December of 2016.
This is now a Johnny Hekker fan account.
Congratulations @JHekker on being named NFC Special Teams Player of the Month! » https://t.co/vJekZhYOh1 pic.twitter.com/6I7v3djitl
— Los Angeles Rams (@RamsNFL) October 29, 2020
In October, Hekker punted 21 times and downed 13 of them inside the 20-yard line. He only had two touchbacks and allowed just seven returns, with three fair catches being called. He had two punts of 63 yards, too, including a perfectly placed kick on Monday night.
It’s not often a punter impacts a game the way Hekker did in October, but he was deservingly rewarded for his efforts by helping pin the Rams’ opponents deep in their own territory. As if there was any doubt, Hekker is clearly one of the very best punters in the NFL, and has been for several years.
