Thomas, Wake and Carpenter selected as AFC's top players

Sep 10, 2014 - 5:44 PM New York, NY (SportsNetwork.com) - Denver Broncos tight end Julius Thomas, Miami Dolphins defensive end Cameron Wake and Buffalo kicker Dan Carpenter have been selected as the AFC's top players for the opening week of the NFL season.

Thomas had seven catches for 104 yards with a career-high three touchdowns in Denver's 31-24 win over Indianapolis to capture the offensive award. He tied Shannon Sharpe's team record for TD catches by a tight end and each of his scores came in the second quarter, making him the first tight end with three TD receptions in one quarter since Ken Dilger of the Colts in 1997.

Wake earned his second career defensive honor with two sacks and a pair of forced fumbles in Miami's 33-20 win over New England. His forced fumbles led to 10 points, as the Dolphins outscored the Patriots 23-0 after halftime and sent New England to its first season-opening loss since 2003.

Carpenter picked up the special teams nod for the fifth time in his career. He drilled each of his three field goal attempts, including a 27-yard winner in overtime that gave Buffalo a 23-20 win at Chicago.

Others considered for the offensive award included Dolphins running back Knowshon Moreno, who ran for 134 yards with a touchdown; Bengals wide receiver A.J. Green, who had six catches for 131 yards with a touchdown in a 23-16 win at Baltimore; and Jets running back Chris Ivory, who picked up 102 yards with a touchdown on just 10 carries in a 19-14 victory over Oakland.

Defensive consideration went to Tennessee cornerback Jason McCourty, who had three tackles and two interceptions in a 26-10 win against Kansas City, and Houston defensive end J.J. Watt, who notched three tackles, one sack, a fumble recovery and a blocked PAT in a 17-6 victory over Washington.

Buffalo punter Colton Schmidt was also nominated for the special teams honor as five of his punts averaged 43.0 yards and four were placed inside the 20.