Kene Nwangwu, Nathan Shepherd honored for Week 10 special teams efforts

After game-changing efforts on special teams in Week 10, Jets ' running back Kene Nwangwu and Saints ' defensive tackle Nathan Shepherd have been honored as Special Teams Player of the Week for their respective conferences.

Running back Kene Nwangwu earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors as he took a 99-yard kickoff return back for a touchdown as the Jets captured a 27-20 win over the Browns. Nwangwu's score continued to build his legacy as an all-time great kick returner, as it marks just the fourth player in NFL history that a player has scored a kickoff return touchdown in four of his first five seasons – Josh Cribbs , Percy Harvin , and Pro Football Hall of Famer Bobby Mitchell are the only other players to earn that accomplishment.

Nwangwu also became just the sixth player in NFL history to record five career kick return touchdowns of at least 95 yards. He joins Cribbs, Cordarrelle Patterson , Dante Hall, Leon Washington , and Abe Woodson on that list.

Shepherd, meanwhile, was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for recording a blocked field goal attempt to preserve a 10-7 lead for the Saints in the third quarter of an eventual 17-7 victory over the Panthers. It was the only blocked field goal recorded in the league in Week 10.

Shepherd also recorded two tackles and a sack for a Saints defense that shut out Carolina during the second half of the game. The honor marks Shepherd’s first-career Special Teams Player of the Week award, and with the award, he becomes the first-ever former Fort Hays State player to win a Player of the Week award in the NFL.

This article originally appeared on Touchdown Wire: Kene Nwangwu, Nathan Shepherd honored for special teams performances