The Bucs dominated the NFC weekly awards for Week 8 following their 23-3 win over the Saints in New Orleans. Not only was Anthony Nelson named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance that saw him rack up two sacks, a forced fumble and a pick-six, but Tampa Bay kicker Chase McLaughlin was recognized as well with NFC Special Teams Player of the Week honors.

While it was Nelson’s pick-six and a Sean Tucker rushing touchdown that helped the Bucs build a 14-3 lead over the Saints on Sunday afternoon, it was McLaughlin’s strong leg that helped Tampa Bay keep adding onto its lead. First, it was a 55-yard field goal to make it 17-3, then he drilled one from 52 yards out to make it a 20-3 lead. And for the finishing touches, McLaughlin booted a 54-yarder to make it a 20-point advantage.

With those three field goals from 50+ yards, McLaughlin now has eight on the season, which is the most in the NFL. He is also the only player in the league with three field goals from 50+ yards in the same game. He is 8-for-8 from 50+ yards out in 2025 and now has a 40-of-47 (85.1%) mark for his career.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today

McLaughlin and Nelson became the third and fourth Bucs to earn NFC weekly honors this season, joining Jamel Dean, who earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week in Week 6, and Kameron Johnson, who was the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 1. Tampa Bay’s four player of the week awards is the most in the NFL this season, plus McLaughlin and Nelson made Buccaneer history by becoming the first pair of teammates to earn weekly honors from the same game since 2008, when Derrick Brooks and Matt Bryant did it.

This is the second time in his career that McLaughlin has won weekly honors, as he was the AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Week 5 of the 2022 season when he was a member of the Indianapolis Colts. That week, he made four field goals in a 12-9 overtime win, with two coming from 50+ yards.

Chase McLaughlin Has Bounced Back From Early-Season Struggles

Early in 2025, Chase McLaughlin had some uncharacteristic misses. After a 2023 season that saw him go 29-of-31 on field goals and a 2024 campaign that saw him finish 30-of-32, it was a shock to see him miss a field goal and an extra point attempt in Week 1 against the Falcons and then miss another field goal against the Texans in Week 2.

McLaughlin then hit five field goals in Week 3 against the Jets, but he also missed a third kick in three weeks, giving him more misses in the first three games than he had in 2023 and 2024, when he had two misses in each season. Since Week 3, though, McLaughlin is 11-of-12 on field goals and 6-of-6 from 50-plus yards out.

Bucs K Chase McLaughlin – Photo by: USA Today

While his four missed kicks are already the most he’s had in a single season in any of his three years with the Bucs, he has started to look a lot more like the Chase McLaughlin Tampa Bay knows and loves after those early-season struggles. His accuracy from deep has been especially key in recent weeks when the Buccaneer offense has been at less than its best. In the 24-9 loss to the Lions in Week 7, he kicked a 53-yard field goal just before halftime to get his team on the board and within 14-3.

And of course, in the 23-3 win over the Saints, his three field goals of 50+ yards gave the offense scoring drives of 18, 16 and 8 yards. Not to mention, all the way back in Week 4, it was McLaughlin’s 65-yard field goal that sparked a near comeback for the Bucs as they struggled out of the gates against the Eagles. That kick set a new franchise record as well as an NFL record for the longest outdoor kick ever.

For the season, McLaughlin is 17-of-21 (81%) on field goals, with an unmatched 8-of-8 mark on kicks from 50 yards and beyond. He is 16-of-17 on extra point attempts as well. And going forward, his leg will continue to be a weapon for a Tampa Bay team that will be looking to wrap up a fifth straight NFC South title and make a deeper run in the playoffs.