CINCINNATI — The Cincinnati Bengals' remarkable second-half comeback against the Baltimore Ravens continues to receive recognition, with quarterback Joe Burrow and punter Ryan Rehkow both earning AFC Player of the Week honors Wednesday.
Burrow was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, while Rehkow earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following Cincinnati's 35-13 victory Sunday at Baltimore. It marks just the third time in franchise history that two Bengals players have received weekly honors in the same week and the first since 1994.
Burrow overcame a rough first half to deliver one of the most impressive second-half performances of his career. After completing just six of 12 passes for 43 yards before halftime, he connected on 16 of 18 attempts for 249 yards and four touchdowns in the final two quarters.
The performance gave Burrow a perfect 158.3 second-half passer rating as the Bengals scored 35 unanswered points. His four touchdown passes went to four different receivers, and he became the first quarterback in the NFL this season to throw four touchdowns in a single half.
The award is Burrow's ninth AFC Offensive Player of the Week honor, tying Boomer Esiason for the most in Bengals history.
While Burrow helped Cincinnati take control offensively, Rehkow played an important role in keeping Baltimore pinned deep in its own territory and he averaged 46 yards on four punts, with all four downed inside Baltimore's 12-yard line and three inside the six. The Ravens managed no return yards on any of his punts, helping Cincinnati win the field-position battle.
Rehkow led all NFL punters in Week 7 with four punts inside the 20-yard line and a 46-yard net punting average. He also served as the holder on Evan McPherson's five successful extra points. It is the first AFC Special Teams Player of the Week award of Rehkow's career and the first for a Bengals punter since Kevin Huber received the honor in 2013.
The last time Cincinnati had two players receive weekly awards together was Week 10 of the 1994 season, when quarterback Jeff Blake and kicker Doug Pelfrey were recognized. The Bengals have now earned 27 weekly offensive, defensive, and special teams awards since the beginning of the 2021 season, the third-most in the NFL during that span.
Cincinnati will look to build on Sunday's victory when the Tennessee Titans visit Paycor Stadium this weekend.
