Colts kicker Chase McLaughlin on Wednesday was named the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 5.
McLaughlin connected on all four of his field goal attempts and scored all of the Colts' points in Thursday night's 12-9 win over the Denver Broncos at Empower Field at Mile High. McLaughlin made a 52-yard field goal in the second quarter and a 51-yard field goal in the third quarter before tying the game with a 31-yarder in the fourth quarter and winning the game with a 48-yarder in overtime.
In hitting both those 50+ yard field goals, McLaughlin became the first Colts player to make multiple 50+ yard field goals in a game since Adam Vinatieri in Week 8 of the 2019 season (which was also against the Broncos). He also became the first Colts player since Rodrigo Blankenship in Week 11 of the 2020 season to convert four field goals in a single game.
McLaughlin re-joined the Colts in Week 2 of the 2022 season after Blankenship was waived (McLaughlin also appeared in four games with the Colts in 2019). In four games, McLaughlin has made seven of his eight field goal attempts – including three of four from 50+ – as well as all four of his PATs. The strong-legged McLaughlin has also handled kickoff duties and is averaging a career high 65.6 yards per kickoff.
McLaughlin is the sixth different Colts player to win AFC Special Teams Player of the Week since Bubba Ventrone was hired as special teams coordinator in 2018, joining:
- Rigoberto Sanchez (twice)
- E.J. Speed (twice)
- Adam Vinatieri (twice)
- Rodrigo Blankenship (once)
- Nyheim Hines (once)
