Pittsburgh Steelers safety Troy Polamalu and Cleveland Browns punter Reggie Hodges earned AFC defensive and special teams player of the week awards, respectively, the NFL announced Wednesday.
Polamalu recorded six tackles and had a huge sack and forced fumble against quarterback Joe Flacco that set up Pittsburgh's game-winning touchdown in a 13-10 victory over the Baltimore Ravens. Barring an unexpected collapse by Pittsburgh, Polamalu's play could be the biggest in the AFC North this season.
Hodges punted nine times and averaged 48.7 yards per punt in Cleveland's 13-10 win over the Miami Dolphins. He had three punts of 50 yards or more in the victory.