Eddie Royal named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month

For the second time in as many months, a Denver Bronco has been awarded the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Month honor.

Wide receiver Eddie Royal wins for October after claiming two special teams returns for touchdowns during the Broncos’ Week Six win in San Diego. Royal’s 93-yard kickoff return and 71-yard punt return already netted him the AFC’s Special Teams honor for that week; this deservedly adds to it.

Matt Prater won the award in September. It is the first such award for both players in their careers, and the first time in Broncos franchise history two players have won the honor in the same year (let alone back-to-back).

Sometimes one outstanding performance outshines an entire month’s worth of work for any other player, and Royal’s electrifying double-return showcase on Monday Night Football certainly qualifies. Congratulations, Eddie. Press release after the jump.

BRONCOS WR EDDIE ROYAL TO BE NAMED AFC SPECIAL TEAMS PLAYER OF THE MONTH

ENGLEWOOD, Colo. — Denver Broncos wide receiver Eddie Royal will be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month for October, the National Football League informed the Broncos on Wednesday.

Royal’s selection as AFC Special Teams Player of the Month is the first such award of his two-year NFL career. It marks the first time in club history that the Broncos have had multiple AFC Special Teams Player of the Month winners in the same year with kicker Matt Prater also earning that award in September.

During three October games, Royal returned eight punts for 134 yards (16.8 avg.) with one touchdown (71 yds.) and five kickoffs for 158 yards (31.6 avg.) with one score (93 yds.) to total 292 return yards and two return touchdowns. He was the only player in the NFL to rank among the league’s top-four players in both kickoff return average (3rd) and punt return average (4th) for the month, and his two special-teams return scores led the league in October.

On Monday Night Football at San Diego (10/19), Royal became only the 11th player in NFL history (2nd Bronco) to score a touchdown on both a kickoff (93 yds.) and punt (71 yds.) return in the same game.

A former standout at Virginia Tech University, Royal is Denver’s fifth AFC Special Teams Player of the Month, which was initiated by the NFL in 1993. He joins Prater (September 2009), punter Todd Sauerbrun (October 2005), running back Reuben Droughns (September 2004) and kicker Jason Elam (November 2001) in receiving that honor.