Andy Lee named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 7

It should surprise nobody that 49ers punter Andy Lee was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 7. Lee was a key part of the 49ers dominance in the field position battle, averaging 45.6 yards per punt and pinning the Seahawks inside the 15 on four of his five punts.

The 49ers special teams coverage units have struggled a bit this year, but Thursday's performance was a throwback to the dominance of 2011. The 49ers face the Arizona Cardinals this coming Monday and will look to build on their strong special teams performance this past week. Even with the dynamic Patrick Peterson returning punts, the unit as a whole has struggled to get much going. Patrick Peterson is averaging 8.8 yards per return, which is good for 13th in the league.

The 49ers defense and run game were key parts of the win over Seattle, but consistently flipping field position in their favor was key. If the 49ers are going to win on Monday, a key will be continuing this strong special teams play.

And yes, we'll continue trying to push afrikabamboodle's nickname suggestion of Death Star for Andy Lee. I'm a big fan of that one.