Colts’ Workhorse, Ravens’ field general, Pats’ return ace earn AFC weekly laurels

The AFC Player of the Week scoreboard in Week 2 handed three game balls to three difference-makers who punched it in when it mattered most:

Offense: RB Jonathan Taylor, Indianapolis Colts

The Horseshoes’ workhorse ran like a thoroughbred, piling up 215 scrimmage yards—165 rushing, 50 receiving—and grabbing a touchdown catch in the Colts’ last-second 29–28 win over Denver. Taylor becomes the first player this season to top 150 on the ground with a TD reception in the same game, and he adds his fourth Offensive Player of the Week to a mantle he’s sharing in franchise lore with only Hall-of-Famer Edgerrin James among non-QBs. For Indy, it’s a 2-0 start for the first time since 2009; for Taylor, it’s another reminder that when the Colts need hay in the barn, JT bucks the trends and breaks the plane.

Defense: LB Roquan Smith, Baltimore Ravens

The Ravens’ sideline-to-sideline sledgehammer stacked 15 tackles, three tackles for loss, and a 63-yard fumble-return touchdown in a statement win over Cleveland. It’s Smith’s first Defensive Player of the Week honor, and it fits Baltimore’s brand to a beak: swarming, opportunistic, and just a little scary. When the Flock needs a stop, Roquan reads and reacts like he has the other team’s playbook on wristband mode.

Special Teams: RB Antonio Gibson, New England Patriots

The Patriots turned the third phase into a runway, with Gibson returning six kickoffs for a league-high 171 yards, including a 90-yard house call that flipped the scoreboard at Miami. It’s the first kick-return TD under the new dynamic rules this season and the seventh-longest since they were introduced in 2024. For New England, it was the spark to finish the drive; for Gibson, it’s a first career Player of the Week and a reminder that when the ball is in his hands, he’s got jet fuel.