Folk Earns AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Honors by Putting Team First
There is an old adage which reads: “There is honor in reliability.” On Wednesday, one of the New England Patriots’ most-reliable players was honored, in a manner to which he is no stranger.
Patriots K Nick Folk was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week by the National Football League for his performance in the Patriots 25-22 win over the Houston Texans on Sunday. It is the seventh Player of the Week Award for Folk in his career. He earned two AFC Special Teams Player of the Week Honors in 2020. He earned the awards following Week 9 of the 2020 season (vs. the New York Jets on Nov. 19 and after Week 12 (vs. Arizona on Nov. 29).
Despite New England’s inconsistent play on both sides of the ball, Folk was the player most responsible for their victory. He connected on all four of his field goal-attempts against Houston (52, 52, 32 and 21 yards). It marked the 11th time in his career that he has had at least four field goals in a game; his third as a member of the Patriots, and his second time in 2021. Folk connected on a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter and another 52-yard field goal in the third quarter against the Texans. The pair of 52-yarders were his longest field goals as a member of the Patriots. Folk’s 21-yard field goal came with 17 seconds to play to put the Patriots in front for good, 25-22.
Folk had his second career game with two 50-yard field goals and became the second Patriots player with two 50-yard field goals in one game. He joins Stephen Gostkowski, who also had two 50-yard field goals in a game three times.
While Folk’s statistics have been impressive, his reliability and durability have drawn both the attention, and admiration, of his teammates, coaches and Patriots fans. Ironically, Folk’s presence on the Patriots was far from guaranteed to begin the 2021 season. After signing a deal in the offseason to return to New England, the Pats signed undrafted rookie free agent kicker Quinn Nordin, who pushed Folk for a spot on the roster during training camp. During final roster cut downs, Folk was released, with Nordin earning the spot on New England’s 53-man roster. Shortly thereafter, he would return to the Patriots, as a member of their practice squad.
When Nordin was placed on injured reserve with an abdomen injury, Folk once again found himself handling the Patriots’ kicking duties.The 36-year-old has been nearly perfect on field-goal tries over the past year, making 40 of his last 41 dating back to last September. His only miss this season would come on a game-winning attempt in adverse weather conditions during the closing moments of New England’s Week Four matchup with the Tampa bay Buccaneers. Folk’s 56-yard try hit the left upright.
Still, the veteran kicker persevered, choosing to focus on helping the team, rather than seeing personal retribution. Following Sunday’s game against Houston, Folk described his approach to re-engaging after a tough miss, while referencing a classic 1980s action film:
“Just wanna get back in the saddle and get back going again,” Folk said. “I guess the way I kind of look at it is a little ‘Top Gun’ in here – when Maverick loses Goose and they want to get him back in the saddle pretty quick. That’s me. I want to get back out there and help the team win as best I can.”
For Folk, ‘getting back in the saddle’ has meant as much physically as mentally. For the past two weeks, Folk has been listed on the Patriots Injury and Practice Participation reports with an ailing left knee. He has continued to work through the injury with a persistence and physical strength that has caught the attention of both his teammates and his coaches.
“Nick’s mentally tough,” Patriots special teams coordinator Cam Achord said Tuesday. “He knows how to take care of his body and what he has to do to get ready every day and every week. Obviously, we have all the confidence in the world in putting him out there every week, and he’s doing everything he can to keep himself there and maintain his body and be ready to go. Obviously, he’s delivered some big kicks for us, and hopefully he’ll continue that moving forward.”
With the Patriots set to host the 4-1 Dallas Cowboys on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, they will (in all likelihood) be able to count on the reliable leg of kicker Nick Folk. Despite the weekly honor bestowed upon him, the veteran will simply take the chance when his number is called, without attention to fanfare. Simply put, he will be doing what he can to help his team win, and in the process, continue to find honor in reliability.
