Ihmir Smith-Marsette named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

It was Smith-Marsette’s second return touchdown and first via kickoff in his four-year career. He scored on a 79-yard punt return for Carolina at Chicago on Nov. 9, 2023.

Smith-Marsette scored the seventh kickoff return touchdown in the NFL in 2024, the first season of the new “dynamic” kickoff rules.

Smith-Marsette scored the Giants’ first kickoff return touchdown since Oct. 25, 2015, when Dwayne Harris also scored on a 100-yard runback, against Dallas. Harris was also selected player of the week. The Giants played 155 regular-season games between kickoff returns, which was the NFL’s fourth-longest active streak when Smith-Marsette ended it.

In their 100-year history the Giants have returned 24 kickoffs for touchdowns, including 22 in the regular season and two by Ron Dixon in the 2000 postseason. The first was by Jack Hagerty on Nov. 5, 1929, against the Buffalo Bisons. Clarence Childs, Rocky Thompson, Willie Ponder and Dixon each have a franchise-high two kickoff return touchdowns.

Smith-Marsette is the second Giants player selected special teams player of the week this season. Isaiah Simmons received the award after he blocked Jason Myers’ potential game-tying 47-yard field goal attempt in Seattle on Oct. 6. Bryce Ford-Wheaton recovered the ball and returned it 60 yards for the clinching touchdown in the Giants’ 29-20 victory.

This is the second consecutive season a Giants return specialist has been honored after scoring a touchdown in a Week 17 home game. A year ago today, the Giants lost to the Rams, 26-25, but Gunner Olszewski was named player of the week for his 94-yard punt return, the second longest in Giants history.

Punter Jamie Gillan was named selected for the award the following week, so the Giants have had multiple special teams player of the week winners in consecutive seasons. The four awards have been won by four different players.

Prior to that, Graham Gano had received three consecutive Giants special teams player of the week awards, one each in 2020 2021, and 2022.