Matt Prater named AFC special-teams player of the week

Posted by Mike Florio on December 13, 2011, 9:38 PM EST
Reuters

Contrary to popular belief, Tim Tebow didn’t force Marion Barber to run out of bounds late in regulation.  Likewise, Tebow didn’t cause Barber to fumble in overtime.

Tebow also didn’t kick a 59-yard field goal to force overtime.  Or a 51-yard field goal to win the game.

Instead, Matt Prater made those kicks.

And Prater is only the second player in league history to kick a field goal of 50 yards or longer to tie a game with less than a minute remaining, and a field goal of 50 yards or longer to win it in overtime.

By the way, the other one isn’t Tim Tebow.  Instead, it was Peyton Manning’s favorite liquored-up kicker, Mike Vanderjagt.

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24 responses to “Matt Prater named AFC special-teams player of the week”

  4. Tebow: Hey god, could you make marion run out of bounds?

    God: No problemo mi amigo, I will also make him fumble and give prater the power of a horse just because I like you so much

    Tebow: Sweet. Dont forget our brunch on olympus this wednesday

  5. Prater was on fire. Those kicks would have been good from 70. This award is very well deserved.

  6. Contrary to popular belief, Tim Tebow didn’t force Marion Barber to run out of bounds late in regulation. Likewise, Tebow didn’t cause Barber to fumble in overtime.
    ____________________________

    You coulda fooled me.

  7. How did Timmy not get Offensive, Defensive & Special Teams AFC player of the week? He prayed hard that Woodyard would strip Barber for the fumble recovery in OT, he prayed hard on every kick Prater attempted (aren’t holders on a knee as well?) He led his team to zero points in 3 quarters and “10” in the 4th. Surprised he doesn’t take the field all by himself!

  8. Nice to hear news on a Bronco other then, you know who. Its disappointing pft. You just couldn’t help mentioning him 4 times as much as the guy who the story is based on.

    Dont get me wrong, our qb is cool. I wouldn’t trade him for anyone but, the entire team is steamrolling. Its sad that one guy is getting all the credit.

    Good job Matt. Most kickers wouldn’t have even come close.
    Good job to the entire defense. There’s no opportunity without what you did.

  10. Matt was so full of the spirit of Tebow he didn’t realize until after the ball had gone through the uprights, that he’d kicked it with the wrong leg.

  11. All the anti-christian sentiment on this page clearly shows why people are haters of Tebow. It’s evident from the comments that’s it’s obviously not his play.

  12. “Contrary to popular belief, Tim Tebow didn’t force Marion Barber to run out of bounds late in regulation.  Likewise, Tebow didn’t cause Barber to fumble in overtime”

    Wait a minute I’ve been watching ESPN and according to them Tim Tebow is the only player on the Broncos. He is single handedly winning all these games.

    With that being said Matt Prater deserves this award 100%. And this is coming from a Bronco hating Raider fan.

  13. I’m a Broncos fan, and I love Prater, but he’s the only kicker I can think of that’s dicey between 40-49 yards and gold from 50+. Regardless, I’m happy for the guy. He’s been one of the team MVP’s if you ask me. Since our winning streak has started he’s been the one booting the clutch kicks to either tie or win the game. GO MATT and GO BRONCOS!!

  14. Don’t blame Tebow for all this press, blame BSPN for their endless coverage, boy do they know how to milk a story, along with PFT because they know if they talk about him their ratings go up as well. So they are exploiting him while at the same time denouncing him. Rather humorous if you ask me.

  15. thank you!!!!! it is about time you finally recognized Tebow isn’t our team, only that we win despite the fact he’s there. I’m so happy credit was given where its due. never happens anymore for my Broncos

  16. Nice Job and well deserved Mr. Prater…

    Well done Mr. Tebow… although I don’t share many of your beliefs, keep winning and playing with heart.

  17. I loved his effort and the end result! However, I can’t help but think that his pretty little ear rings and horribly bad ink might actually be holding him back? Who is this guy’s stylist?

  18. Denver fan here, and I get the “Tebow doesn’t deserve credit” cry. So much more going on with this team, BUT……PLEASE, when Tebow loses a game(or many) can we not blame it ALL on him? Perspective. His harshest critics said he would fail miserably. He is 7-1. These are the facts.

    If or when he goes 1-7, I know it will be all his fault.

  19. Kind of off subject but…… Does anybody else think Skip Bayless’ mancrush on Tebow is creepy?

  20. Not saying Tebow singlehandedly won the game for Denver doesn’t fit the narrative of the season, though!

  21. Prater is money. Mile High Magic is back, thanks to Tebow and all his mighty powers! It’s important to remember that Mile High is the closest NFL staduim to heaven. Tebow is just the conduit. Tebow to the Superbowl!

  22. I can’t believe that Montell Owens didn’t get this for forcing two fumbles on punt returns, both of which were recovered by the Jaguars and one returned for a touchdown. Prater had an excellent week and in the big picture, this doesn’t matter at all, but a kicker making a couple of big kicks is more routine than a guy forcing two turnovers on coverage.

  23. That mile high air and the hand of the false profit, Saint Tebow, are the only reason he made those kicks.

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