Football, NFL

Jordan Love, Arvell Reese & Jake Bates Named Week 9 NFC Players of the Week

November 12, 2026
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Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love, New York Giants linebacker Arvell Reese and Detroit Lions kicker Jake Bates are the NFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Week for games played in Week 9 (November 5, 8-9).

OFFENSE: QB JORDAN LOVE, GREEN BAY PACKERS

Smiling football player wearing a green and yellow jersey against a gray background — This is a 2026 photo of Jordan Love of the Green Bay Packers NFL football team. This image reflects the Green Bay Packers active roster as of Monday, June 8, 2026 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

Love completed 23 of 29 pass attempts (79.3 percent) for 372 yards and three touchdowns with no interceptions for a 153.2 rating and added one rushing touchdown in Green Bay’s 45-27 win at New England. Love’s 153.2 passer rating led the NFL in Week 9, while his 372 passing yards and 79.3 completion percentage led all NFC quarterbacks. Love now has eight games with multiple touchdown passes in 2026, the most in the NFL.
This is Love’s fifth-career Offensive Player of the Week award. He is the third Packers quarterback to win the award five times, joining Aaron Rodgers (19-time winner) and Pro Football Hall of Famer Brett Favre (12).
- 2023: Weeks 17, 18
- 2025: Weeks 8, 13
- 2026: Week 9
Love is the only former Utah State player to earn a Player of the Week award five times.

DEFENSE: LB ARVELL REESE, NEW YORK GIANTS

Portrait of a smiling football player with dreadlocks wearing a blue New York Giants jersey. — This is a 2026 photo of Arvell Reese of the New York Giants NFL football team. This image reflects the New York Giants active roster as of Thursday, May 7, 2026 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

Reese recorded 12 tackles, three sacks and one forced fumble in the New York Giants’ 19-11 win at Philadelphia. At 21 years and 70 days old, Reese became the youngest player since 1982, when the individual sack became an official statistic, to record at least three sacks in a single game, surpassing Vernon Maxwell (21 years, 321 days on September 11, 1983 with the Baltimore Colts). Reese also became the first NFC rookie to record three sacks in a game since James Houston (1/1/23 with Detroit).
This is Reese’s first-career Defensive Player of the Week award. He becomes the third Giants rookie linebacker to earn the honor, joining Devon Kennard (Week 14, 2014) and Kayvon Thibodeaux (Week 15, 2022).
Reese is the fourth former Ohio State player, and second linebacker, to win a Defensive Player of the Week award as a rookie, joining Nick Bosa (two-time winner), Dre’Mont Jones (Week 16, 2019) and Sonny Styles (Week 3, 2026).

SPECIAL TEAMS: K JAKE BATES, DETROIT LIONS

Portrait of a male football player wearing a blue NFL jersey against a gray background — This is a 2026 photo of Jake Bates of the Detroit Lions NFL football team. This image reflects the Detroit Lions active roster as of Monday, June 15, 2026 when this image was taken. (AP Photo)

Bates converted all four of his field goal attempts (from 28, 40, 33 and 43 yards) and his only point-after attempt in Detroit’s 19-9 win at Miami. Bates was one-of-two NFC kickers to convert every kick on four-or-more field goal attempts in Week 9.
This is Bates’ third-career Player of the Week award and he becomes the third Lions kicker to earn three Special Teams Player of the Week awards, joining Jason Hanson (12-time winner) and Matt Prater (seven). Bates is also the third Lions player to win Special Teams Player of the Week in the past three weeks, joining D.J. Wonnum (Week 7) and Jack Fox (Week 8).
- 2024: Weeks 7, 10
- 2026: Week 9
Bates is the second former Arkansas player, and the only kicker, to win three Player of the Week awards, joining Wayne Martin (three-time winner).