FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Atlanta Falcons running back Michael Turner was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week following his performance against the St. Louis Rams in the regular season finale at the Georgia Dome. The honor is the third for Turner this season (Week 1 and Week 3) as he becomes the first player in franchise history to earn conference offensive player of the week accolades on three different occasions in one season.
In Atlanta’s 31-27 victory over the Rams in Week 17, Turner recorded the second-highest single-game rushing total in team history with 208 yards on 25 carries while contributing with one touchdown and a season-long run of 70 yards. His 70-yard scamper also marked the fourth-longest run in club annals.
On two other occasions this season, Turner was named NFC Offensive Player of the Week. The first came after a Week 1 meeting against Detroit where he set a new franchise single-game rushing record with 220 yards on 22 carries. He also earned the honor after a Week 3 performance where he totaled 104 rushing yards and three touchdowns against the Kansas City Chiefs.
This season, the Falcons also witnessed quarterback Matt Ryan merit NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors (Week 9) and NFC Rookie of the Month accolades (October) for the first time in team history. Wide receiver Harry Douglas was also the recipient of the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award (Week 12) after returning a punt for a touchdown against the Carolina Panthers.
Atlanta will battle the NFC West Division champion Arizona Cardinals in a NFC Wild Card meeting on Saturday, January 3, 2009, at 4:30 p.m. EST. The game will be broadcast on NBC.
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