Kenneth Walker, T.J. Watt and Evan McPherson Earn AFC Week 1 Honors
Kansas City’s Kenneth Walker, Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt and Cincinnati’s Evan McPherson headline the AFC’s first weekly awards of the 2026 season.
NEW YORK — The AFC has its first Players of the Week for the 2026 season.
Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt and Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson were named the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for Week 1.
The awards recognize performances from games played Sept. 9-10 and Sept. 13-14.
Walker Powers Chiefs in Week 1
Walker made an immediate impact in his first season with Kansas City, leading the NFL with 191 scrimmage yards in the Chiefs' 31-10 victory over Denver.
The running back finished with 173 rushing yards and 18 receiving yards while scoring twice — once on the ground and once through the air.
The performance placed Walker among just six running backs in NFL history to record at least 190 scrimmage yards with both a rushing and receiving touchdown in a Week 1 game.
It also marked Walker's second career Player of the Week award and his first since joining the Chiefs. His previous honor came during Week 3 of the 2023 season with Seattle.
Walker became the seventh running back in Chiefs history to receive the award and the first Kansas City running back to earn it for a season-opening performance.
The former Michigan State standout also became the fifth player from the school to collect multiple Offensive Player of the Week awards, joining Kirk Cousins, Le'Veon Bell, Andre Rison and Lorenzo White.
Watt Makes History in Pittsburgh
Watt delivered one of the AFC's most disruptive defensive performances of the opening week.
The Steelers linebacker finished Pittsburgh's 20-13 win over Atlanta with four tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks and a 35-yard interception return for a touchdown.
According to the league, Watt became the first player in 20 seasons to record multiple sacks and an interception return touchdown during Kickoff Weekend. Joey Porter was the last to accomplish the feat in 2006.
The performance also added another milestone to Watt's career. With 117 sacks and 10 interceptions, he joined Pro Football Hall of Famer Julius Peppers as the only players since 1982 with at least 100 sacks and 10 interceptions.
The award is Watt's ninth career Defensive Player of the Week honor, tying him with Hall of Famers Chris Doleman, Bruce Smith and Lawrence Taylor for the most in NFL history.
Watt's previous awards came during the 2018, 2020, 2021, 2023 and 2024 seasons before his latest recognition in Week 1 of 2026.
McPherson Delivers for Cincinnati
McPherson was perfect on Sunday, converting all four of his field-goal attempts and all three extra-point attempts in Cincinnati's 33-27 victory over Tampa Bay.
His field goals came from 20, 55, 58 and 32 yards, giving him 15 points — the most scored by a kicker during Week 1.
McPherson was also the only kicker in the opening week to make two field goals from at least 55 yards.
The honor marks his fifth career Special Teams Player of the Week award, moving him past Doug Pelfrey for the most by a Bengals kicker.
McPherson's five awards are also the most among former Florida kickers. Since 2021, only Cameron Dicker, with six, and Jake Elliott, with five, have matched or exceeded that total among kickers.
Walker, Watt and McPherson now become the first AFC players recognized for their performances during the 2026 season, setting the tone for what could be a record-filled year across the conference.
Source: NFL Communications.
