Bills Punter Sam Martin Wins AFC Special Teams Player of the Month
Deonte Harty isn't the only player on the Buffalo Bills toting hardware for his play on special teams.
Bills punter Sam Martin was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for his play in December. The award marks the first time Martin has won it in his career and made him the first Buffalo punter to earn the accolade since November 2006.
Sam Martin punting the ball.
USA TODAY
Bills kicker Tyler Bass also won the award in September. Martin being named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Month in December makes it the first time in Bills history that their punter and kicker have won the award in the same season.
In December and January, Martin led AFC punters in the percentage of punts inside the 20-yard line (64.75), 10-yard line (29.4) and 5-yard line (11.8). Opponents also had an average starting field position at their 19.1-yard line, which was also the best in the conference.
Martin, who is in his second season in Buffalo, began his career with the Detroit Lions in 2013 and spent the first seven years of his career there. He also previously played for the Denver Broncos (2020-2021) before signing with the Bills in the 2022 offseason.
Along with Martin, Harty won the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his 96-yard punt return on Sunday in the Bills' 21-14 win over the Miami Dolphins at Hard Rock Stadium, which clinched the AFC East for the fourth-straight season and No. 2 seed in the conference. Harty's return tied the game in the fourth quarter, and Buffalo took the lead on the ensuing drive.
Buffalo returns home for the Wild Card round of the AFC Playoffs when it faces the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday at Highmark Stadium at 1 p.m. ET.
