AFC Players Of The Month

Quarterback TOM BRADY of the New England Patriots, linebacker DE MARCUS WARE of the Denver Broncos and kicker STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI of the New England Patriots are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Month for September, the NFL announced today.

OFFENSE: QB TOM BRADY, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
• Brady led the NFL with 1,112 passing yards and posted nine touchdowns passes with no interceptions for a 119.6 rating as he led the Patriots to a 3-0 record in September.
• He is one of two players in NFL annals to pass for at least 1,100 yards with nine or more touchdowns and no interceptions through Week 3 (PEYTON MANNING, 2013).
• Brady completed 96 of 133 passes in the month (72.2 percent), and his 96 completions are the most by any player in NFL history through three games.
• Brady posted at least two touchdown passes and a passer rating of 105 or better in each of his three games this month. He passed for 288 yards and four touchdowns with a 143.8 passer rating in the Patriots’ 28-21 Thursday night victory against Pittsburgh on Kickoff Weekend and followed with 466 yards and three touchdowns in a 40-32 win at Buffalo in Week 2. Brady capped of his September with 358 yards and two touchdowns with a 118.1 passer rating in a 51-17 victory against Jacksonville last week.
• In his 16th season from Michigan, this is Brady’s eighth career Offensive Player of the Month Award, which ties PEYTON MANNING for the most AFC Offensive Player of the Month Awards since the accolade was instituted in 1986. Brady most recently won the award in October of 2014.

DEFENSE: LB DE MARCUS WARE, DENVER BRONCOS
• Ware tied for first in the AFC and second in the NFL with 3.5 sacks while posting 10 tackles as the Broncos finished with a 3-0 record in September.
• He is the only NFL player to post at least one sack in each of the first three games this season.
• Denver leads the NFL in total defense (259.0 yards per game), passing defense (176.3 yards per game) and turnover differential (+6).
• In Week 1, Ware posted two tackles and one sack in the Broncos’ 19-13 win against Baltimore. He followed with one sack and four tackles in Denver’s 31-24 divisional road victory at Kansas City on Thursday Night Football in Week 2 and wrapped up the month with another four tackles and 1.5 sacks against Detroit last week.
• In his 11th year from Troy, this is Ware’s first career Player of the Month Award.
• He joins KARL MECKLENBURG (November 1989), SIMON FLETCHER (December 1991) and VON MILLER (November 2012, October 2014) as the only Broncos linebackers to be named Defensive Player of the Month.

SPECIAL TEAMS: K STEPHEN GOSTKOWSKI, NEW ENGLAND PATRIOTS
• Gostkowski led the NFL with 35 total points and converted all seven field-goal attempts and 14 PATs as the Patriots posted a 3-0 record.
• His seven made field goals tied for the most in the AFC, and his 14 PATs led the conference.
• Gostkowski booted an NFL-best 18 touchbacks out of 24 kickoffs (75 percent) in September.
• He converted all six extra points against Jacksonville in Week 3 and has made 425 consecutive PATs, surpassing MATT STOVER (422) for the longest streak in NFL history.
• In his 10th season from Memphis, this is Gostkowski’s third career Special Teams Player of the Month Award.
• He joins ADAM VINATIERI as the only Patriots to be named Special Teams Player of the Month three times.