Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler today was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week by the league office. It marks the first Offensive Player of the Week honor of his career.
Ekeler scored twice in the team's 31-10 win over the Rams, continuing his two-season tear as the league's touchdowns leader. He led all AFC players in Week 17 in rushing yards (122), rushing touchdowns (two) and rushing average (12.2 yards per attempt) among players with at least 10 carries. He added four catches for 39 yards (9.8 avg.), giving him an AFC-best 161 scrimmage yards.
The sixth-year running back scored his second touchdown of the day on a career-long, 72-yard run, marking his league-leading second carry of 70-plus yards on the season. The game marked Ekeler's sixth multi-touchdown performance of the season, an NFL-best in 2022, and tied for the most in a single season by any NFL player since 2017.
With an NFL-high 18 scrimmage touchdowns and 1,567 scrimmage yards this season, Ekeler joined Priest Holmes as the only undrafted players with consecutive seasons of 15 touchdowns and 1,500 scrimmage yards in the common draft era (since 1967). He now has 103 receptions on the year, the third-most in a single season by a running back in NFL history.
Ekeler is the first Chargers running back to win the weekly accolade since 2017 and the ninth different Bolts running back to win the award.
Bolt Up for 2023!
Secure your 2023 Season Ticket Memberships today! Click here to learn more.
