Lions kicker Michael Badgley wins NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 13

An underrated part in the Detroit Lions’ dominate performance against the Jaguars, kicker Michael Badgley has been named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 13. 

The Detroit Lions had their best all-around performance in years last Sunday, dominating the Jacksonville Jaguars in a 40-14 win. That included special teams and kicker Michael Badgley, and Badgley has been named NFC Special Team Player of the Week for Week 13.

Badgley nailed all four of his extra points against the Jaguars, and he also went 4-for-4 on field goals with makes of 44, 45, 47 and 38 yards as the Lions piled on the points. He is the fifth Lion in team history to convert at least four extra points and four field goals in a game.

Badgley became the Lions kicker in Week 5, but he was not given any opportunities to kick in that game. In seven games since the bye week, he is 18-for-18 on extra points and 11-for-12 on field goals. That lone missed field goal came when Jim Nantz jinxed him on Thanksgiving Day against the Buffalo Bills, and the Lions’ kicker promptly and inexplicably hooked a 29-yard attempt wide left.

Michael Badgley has stabilized the kicker spot for the Lions

Through last season and into this season, since Matt Prater’s departure in free agency, the Lions cycled through kickers more often than some people might change their underwear. Badgley kicked in one game this season for the Chicago Bears, before the Lions added him to their practice squad in search of some kind of answer to fill the kicker spot.

For the season as a whole, Badgley is 15-for-16 on field goals (93.8 percent).

The Lions have now won a Player of the Week award in all three phases this season. Wide receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown won NFC Offensive Player of the Week in Week 2, followed by rookies Kerby Joseph and Aidan Hutchinson winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 9 and Week 11 respectively.