David Wilson's electrifying performance Sunday earned him the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award.
Wilson returned four kickoffs for 227 yards, including a 97-yard touchdown, and added 110 rushing yards and two scores to set a franchise record with 337 total yards.
He is the first Giants kickoff returner to win the conference Special Teams Player of the Week award since David Meggett in Week 1 of the 1994 season.
Wilson set several team and league records and achieved milestones that hadn't been reached in decades.
He is first player in NFL history with at least 200 kickoff return yards and 100 rushing yards in the same game. Wilson became the fourth player in league history with two rushing touchdowns and a kickoff return touchdown in the same game. The others were Washington's Andy Farkas in 1939, Philadelphia's Steve Van Buren in 1945 and Jacksonville's Maurice Jones-Drew in 2006.
Wilson averaged 56.8 yards per return, the highest total ever by a Giant with at least three returns in a game. The previous record of 51.8 yards was set by Joe Scott on four returns vs. the Rams on Nov. 14, 1948. In that game 64 years ago, Scott was the last Giants player before Wilson to score rushing and kickoff return touchdowns in the same game.
Wilson's 327 all-purpose yards broke the former team mark of 303, set by Domenik Hixon at New Orleans on Oct. 18, 209. Wilson, the Giants' first-round draft choice this year, has returned 48 kickoffs for 1,321 yards, a 27.5-yard average, this season. The yardage total is a team record, topping Hixon's 1,291 yards in 2009. Wilson's 27.5-yard average currently makes him the Giants' career leader (minimum 40 returns). Rocky Thompson had held the record with a 27.2-yard average on 65 returns from 1971-73.
Wilson scored the Giants' first touchdown on his 97-yard kickoff return in the first quarter. It was the Giants' first kickoff return touchdown since Hixon's 74-yard runback against New England on Dec. 29, 2007.
The 32nd overall selection of the 2012 draft, Wilson is the second Giants player to receive the Special Teams Player of the Week award this season; kicker Lawrence Tynes was honored after kicking five field goals at Carolina in Week 3.
The other Giants to win Player of the Week awards this season thus far have been wide receiver Hakeem Nicks on offense in Week 2 vs. Tampa Bay and safeties Antrel Rolle (Week 6 vs. San Francisco) and Stevie Brown (Week 8 vs. Dallas) on defense.
Wilson is the fifth rookie to win the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award this season. And he is one of two rookies honored this week; Carolina linebacker Luke Kuechly was selected as the NFC Defensive Player of the Week after his career-high 16-tackle performance vs. Atlanta.
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