The Lions have turned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week into a back-to-back affair.
One week after EDGE D.J. Wonnum was honored for his game-saving block against the Green Bay Packers, punter Jack Fox has claimed the award after his work in Sunday’s tight win over the then-undefeated Minnesota Vikings.
It’s the second time Fox has won the weekly recognition. His first came in Week 3 of 2024, when Detroit beat the Arizona Cardinals 20-13 and he averaged 49.4 yards on five punts, with four of them dropping inside the Cardinals’ 20.
Fox’s latest performance came in a game where field position mattered every bit as much as points. He punted four times against Minnesota and averaged 46.5 yards per kick. Three of those punts were downed inside the Vikings’ 20, and Minnesota’s average starting field position on those drives was its own 14.25-yard line.
That mattered. The Vikings managed one touchdown, but they also punted twice and threw an interception to cornerback D.J.
Reed on the next set of drives. After those four possessions ended, Detroit answered by scoring on three straight drives - two field goals and a touchdown.
On the two drives Minnesota punted, the Lions began at their own 42.5-yard line on average.
Fox’s value wasn’t limited to the punting game, either. He also handled holding duties for kicker Jake Bates.
Bates missed his first field goal of the season, but he made his other two attempts and added his lone extra point. In a four-point game, those seven points loomed large, right alongside the hidden yardage Fox created.
The award also reflects how strong Fox has been all season. His 47.9-yard punting average is up from 46.6 last year, and his 43.7 net average would be the third-best of his career. He has pinned opponents inside their own 20 a dozen times, putting him on pace to top last season’s career-high of 28, and his return yards allowed are on pace to be 78 fewer than in 2025.
At 5-2, the Lions have gotten plenty of attention for what the offense has done. But these last two weekly honors are a reminder that special teams has been a major part of the formula, too. If Detroit wants to make it three straight awards, it’ll have a chance Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
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The betting market has already reflected some of that concern, with the total climbing even as the spread has stayed put. It points to a game that could stay tight and carry more scoring than usual, but for Detroit the bigger question is whether a battered defense can hold up long enough to let the winning streak survive another week. [Read more 🡒]