ASHBURN, Va. — The NFL named Commanders kicker Austin Seibert the NFC Special Teams Player of the week for the second week of the season. Seibert set a franchise record for most made field goals, accounting for all 21 points in the Commanders' first victory of the season over the New York Giants.
Seibert's seven-for-seven performance came days after he replaced Cade York, who missed each of his two attempts in the season opener.
“I guess that’s a great way to kind of welcome myself to the team and win a football game, so I’m happy with it,” said Seibert, who was good from 27, 45, 26, 27, 29 and 30 yards out. “No reason to make it bigger than it is. Just go out there and do what I do.”
Seibert is also tied for second in NFL history for most made field goals in a single game, trailing only Rob Bironas, who made eight FGs in 2007.
It's the first time Seibert has secured a Special Teams Player of the Week honor in his career. His 21-point performance was the most in a single game since 1973. He now ranks third in franchise history in total points scored in a single game.
From being out of a job Week 1 to getting hoisted on his brand-new teammates' shoulders was quite the turnaround for the 27-year-old who has bounced around the league since 2019.
“That's why you stay ready at all times,” Seibert said. “That’s kind of the nature of the beast right now in the kicking world. It’s just so competitive. You have to take advantage of the opportunities that present themselves.”
Coach Dan Quinn credited general manager Adam Peters for making the decision but vividly remembers Seibert “in the rain, hitting some big ones” last month when he and his team were at the Jets practice facility in Florham Park, New Jersey.
“We had a good evaluation of him,” Quinn said. “He was one of the players that we had targeted if we were going to do something, and so it was part of that process from all the way back.”
Seibert is the fifth kicker to be on Washington's roster since January. Joey Slye, brought in by the previous regime, left as a free agent; Brandon McManus was released after he was sued in civil court alleging he sexually assaulting two women while they were serving as flight attendants on Jacksonville's trip to London last year; Ramiz Ahmed and Riley Patterson came and went during the offseason and York lasted one game.
“I think pretty much everyone knew that there were some kickers here before me, and I can’t think about it that way,” Seibert said. “That’s their story. That’s what they’re doing. This is my story. And yeah, sure, you think about that, but at the end of the day, I’m writing my own story.”