NASHVILLE – Titans kicker Stephen Gostkowski has been named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his performance in the team's Week 3 contest over the Vikings.
The NFL made the announcement on Wednesday morning on NFL Network's Good Morning Football.
In Tennessee's 31-30 win over the Vikings on Sunday, Gostkowski made kicks of 30, 31, 39, 51, 54 and 55 yards.
Gostkowski kicked the game-winner from 55 yards out with 1:44 remaining. He also kicked game-winners in the closing moments in wins over the Broncos and Jaguars during the first two weeks of the regular season.
Gostkowski is the first kicker to convert a game-winning field goal in the final two minutes of regulation in each of his team's first three games of a season since the 1970 merger.
"You play this game for a long time, and you are going to have good and bad things happen," Gostkowski said on Sunday. "Obviously I was rusty that first game (at Denver) – I didn't feel great, and obviously played one of the worst games I've ever played. But the worst thing you can do is change everything – you need to stick with what gets you there … and focus up a little more.
"It's nice to be up here (today on a Zoom call) not in an embarrassed state and be excited for a victory. … It's a lot more fun to be an asset than a liability."
Titans coach Mike Vrabel praised Gostkowski after Sunday's win.
Gostkowski became the second player in franchise history to make at least six field goals in a game. The other: Rob Bironas, who set the team and NFL record with eight field goals at Houston on Oct. 21, 2007.
"He's just doing his job," Vrabel said of Gostkowski, his former teammate in New England. "Stephen prepares and obviously we're very confident in him, and today we needed him to help the Titans win.
"Steve had a day today, we're appreciative of that, and we hung around just long enough to make the plays in the end."
Gostkowski, who has made nine straight field goals this season, kicked the 12th game-winning kick of his career in Minneapolis.
"It's nice to be 3-0," Gostkowski said. "You play for one team a long time, and then you join a team with a week to go in training camp going into the season and you start of the way I did. I had my back up against the wall, and it brought up emotions and feelings like I never had before. And to keep my head down and grind and have some good results, it means a lot."
