Patriots RB Awarded Weekly Special Teams Honor

It's time for Antonio Gibson to clear up some space in his trophy case.

The New England Patriots running back and kick returner was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after his 90-yard kick return touchdown rewrote the team's 33-27 win over the Miami Dolphins last week. The electric return made up more than half of Gibson's 171 total retun yards in the winning effort.

"I need to start talking to myself more," Gibson laughed postgame. "I was talking to myself before the play, like man, make a play right here AG. I asked and received."

The electric return happened at a point in the game where New England absolutely needed it. Following a punt return touchdown allowed to Dolphins wideout Malik Washington, the Patriots were back to receieve the ensuing kickoff. Gibson caught the ball, slipped past two defenders and burst through a crease that had opened up on the right sideline.

Right alongside Gibson was Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel, who was sprinting step-for-step with the running back -- "If he’s keeping up with me, then I need to run faster. I heard he almost caught me though," Gibson said.

"I caught myself trying to look back at the defender, and I was like ‘man you’re tripping," Gibson recalled. "Just run. After that, I had my eyes on the endz one and that was that."

The score paid dividends in the game, as the Patriots held on to win and walk out of Miami with a victory for the first time since the 2019 season. The play -- which was the first time a Patriots player has scored on a dynamic kickoff -- exemplified the mindset this team wants to instill.

"We unfortunately just gave up the punt return but then answered, and Gibby answered and that unit answered," Vrabel said. "Again, I felt like we were willing to get into a street fight. We had a little lull, and we didn't pack it up and quit."

Sep 14, 2025; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; New England Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel greets Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel after a game at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

Gibson is the first Patriot to win this award since cornerback Marcus Jones won it during his rookie season back in 2022. During that game, Jones returned a punt at the buzzer to knock off the New York Jets. It's also the first time a Patriot player has won an NFL weekly award since Kyle Dugger won it in Week 17 of the 2022 campaign.

The kick return was the first touchdown Gibson has scored in his career, and also the first time he's been honored with a Player of the Week award since being drafted six years ago. It's also the second time a Patriots player has housed a kickoff this year, as rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson took the opening kick of the preseason 100 yards.

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