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The San Francisco 49ers strong performance against the Tennessee Titans is resulting in some national recognition. 49ers punter Andy Lee was named NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 7. This is his third award, making him the first 49ers player to accomplish this feat.
Lee put together a strong performance, finishing with six punts for 280 yards. He had a gross average of 46.7 yards, and a net average of 43.5 yards. His longest punt went 58 yards, and he dropped three inside the 20.
Entering this past week, the 49er led the league in punting according to Football Outsiders' metric. The last few weeks, the 49ers have faced teams with some brutal punt return units, and the 49ers have benefited greatly in the battle for field position. This week, the 49ers face a Jaguars team that is near the bottom in the punt return game. Each week that has been a key storyline to follow, and it won't change this week.
It is of course worth noting that Andy Lee's dominance has come because of more than just his leg. Lee has great strength and accuracy, but he also benefits from great coverage units. C.J. Spillman has been a prominent leader of that unit, seemingly getting deep special teams tackles every single week. Maybe we'll see more this on Sunday:
