Alex Smith named AFC Offensive Player of the Week

The NFL named Alex Smith as the Offensive Player of the Week for the AFC after his dominating performance in the Chiefs win over the Patriots.

Sam Bradford and Alex Smith are the unlikely recipients of the NFC and AFC Offensive Players of the Week, per the NFL, but after impressive wins and individual performances from each, the awards are well deserved. As unlikely as they are, both Bradford and Smith put on strong displays in Week 1 that should help bolster their offensive reputations moving forward.

For Smith, the performance against the New England Patriots felt very different from previous games from Smith in his four-year career in Kansas City. He’s had shades of this before, including the playoff loss to the Indianapolis Colts years ago and last year’s comeback win over the Chargers in Week 1. That said, Smith has rarely looked this good, if ever.

Not only was Smith perfect in his short targets, but his long game was strong as well. He anchored three 90-plus yard drives against the defending Super Bowl champs in their own home stadium. The biggest spotlight in the NFL’s regular season wasn’t too big at all for Smith and the Chiefs offense to impose their will on the Patriots defense.

In the end, Smith finished with an 80 percent completion rate, 368 passing yards and 4 touchdowns with zero interceptions.

The full list of Week 1 winners for the AFC:

• Offense: Alex Smith, Kansas City Chiefs
• Defense: Calais Campbell, Jacksonville Jaguars
• Special Teams: Giorgio Tavecchio, Oakland Raiders

The full list of Week 1 winners for the NFC:

• Offense: Sam Bradford, Minnesota Vikings
• Defense: Trumaine Johnson, St. Louis Rams
• Special Teams: Matt Prater, Detroit Lions