Falcons K Andersen headlines NFL Players of the Week

Nov 14, 2007 - 11:13 PM NEW YORK (Ticker) -- For Atlanta Falcons kicker Morten Andersen, age is just a number.

The 47-year-old Andersen highlighted the NFL weekly awards on Wednesday by being tabbed as the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week.

Meanwhile, the play of St. Louis Rams quarterback Marc Bulger finally earned his team a win - and earned the quarterback NFC Offensive Player of the Week honors.

Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Ben Roethlisberger won the AFC Offensive Player of the Week while Arizona Cardinals linebacker Karlos Dansby and San Diego Chargers cornerback Antonio Cromartie were the respective Defensive Players of the Week of their conferences. San Diego Chargers return specialist Darren Sproles was named the special teams recipient for the AFC.

Andersen, the league's oldest player, kicked two field goals and added two PATs in the Falcons' 20-13 win over the Carolina Panthers to become the first player in NFL history to score 2,500-plus points.

A 25-year veteran out of Michigan State, Anderson kicked a 36-yard field goal in the third quarter to reach the 2,500-point mark and then kicked his age with a 47-yarder in the final quarter.

The league's all-time leading scorer with 2,504 points, this is Andersen's ninth career Player of the Week Award, including seven with the Falcons - the most in franchise history.

Bulger completed 27-of-33 attempts for 302 yards with two touchdowns to lead the Rams to a 37-29 victory over the New Orleans Saints. The seven-year veteran became only the fifth quarterback since 2004 to complete at least 80 percent of his passes for 300 yards with at least two touchdowns and no interceptions.

The 30-year-old signal caller, who guided an offense that gained 409 yards and had four drives of at least 60 yards, threw both of his TD passes in the second half, including a three-yard scoring toss to Drew Bennett in the fourth quarter. It was the 100th touchdown pass of his career.

Bulger becomes the third Rams quarterback (Jim Everett, Kurt Warner) to win Player of the Week Award at least three times.

Roethlisberger completed 23-of-34 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns and also rushed for a career-best 49 yards in the Steelers' 31-28 victory over the Cleveland Browns.

The four-year pro led the Steelers on two fourth-quarter scoring drives of 66 and 78 yards to help Pittsburgh to the second-best record (7-2) in the AFC. Roethlisberger's career-long 30-yard touchdown run capped the first drive and his two-yard TD toss to Heath Miller completed the rally for the Steelers.

This is Roethlisberger's second Player of the Week Award.

Dansby recorded four tackles, two interceptions and a forced fumble in the Cardinals' 31-21 win over Detroit. The fourth-year pro out of Auburn was also a major force in limiting the Lions to minus-18 rushing yards, the lowest single-game total since the NFL adopted modern statistical rules regarding rushing plays in 1947.

Dansby, who earned his first career Player of the Week Award, became the first Cardinals linebacker to be honored since Ronald McKinnon in 1998.

Cromartie tied a team record by recording three second-half interceptions in the Chargers' 23-21 win against the Indianapolis Colts. In his second season from Florida State, Cromartie leads the league with six interceptions, posting all six in the past four games.

The 6-2, 203-pound Cromartie, who earned his first Defensive Player of the Week Award, garnered one for special teams in Week Nine.

Sproles accounted for two of the Chargers' three touchdowns as San Diego won for the fourth time in five games to climb into first place in the AFC West. The 5-6, 181-pound Sproles, who reached the end zone for the first time in his career, became the ninth player in NFL history to score on a kickoff and punt return in the same game.

The 24-year-old Sproles, in his third season from Kansas State, is the third San Diego player in a row (Mike Scifres, Cromartie) to win Special Teams Player of the Week.