Saints kicker Blake Grupe named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week

New Orleans Saints rookie kicker Blake Grupe was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week for his performance against the New England Patriots in Week 5.

The Saints defeated the Patriots 34-0 on Sunday with Grupe accounting for 10 of those points which included 2 field goals, one for 53 yards and a career-long 54-yard field goal as well as 4 extra-point attempts. Through the first five games of this season, Grupe has made 11 of his 12 field goal attempts (91.7%) and all 9 extra point attempts.

The 24-year-old from Notre Dame was signed by the Saints in April as an undrafted free agent. Grupe defeated former Saints’ kicker Wil Lutz in a position battle during training camp, which resulted in Lutz being traded to the Denver Broncos.

Head Coach Dennis Allen spoke about his confidence in Grupe after the Patriots game, “I think he’s kicked the ball exceptionally well for us. I’ve had zero reservations about having him attempt a long field goal. It was great to see him do that.”

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