Bills P Sam Martin Earns POTW Honors Following Performance vs. Bears

There are few positions in football that earn less recognition than the punter. Despite that, they are of utmost importance for teams looking to win games. 

This was learned by the Buffalo Bills in their 35-13 win over the Chicago Bears on Christmas Eve. The weather conditions were far from ideal, but that didn't stop Bills punter from being named one of Peter King's Special Teams Players of the Week. 

Martin, alongside Minnesota Vikings kicker Greg Joseph and Houston Texans punter Cameron Johnston, had a monster game in below freezing temperatures. He only punted three times but recorded 161 total yards, averaging 53.7 yards per punt with a long of 62 yards. 

Bills coach Sean McDermott was pleased with not only Martin's performance, but the kicking game as a whole in suboptimal weather conditions. 

"The kicking game, I thought they got the better part of it early in the game there in the first half," McDermott said. "And then the second half, our guys really were able to reset and came up with some big plays for us, which is all part of the ebb and flow of a game."

While the Bills feature one of the NFL's most potent offenses, having a punter capable of flipping the field when called upon is crucial, especially once the playoffs roll around. 

Martin has shown he can do just that, and his leg could be the difference between a win or loss in the playoffs for the Bills. 

You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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