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Home , Adam Vinatieri, Andre Johnson, Antonio Brown, Marvin Harrison, Terrell Suggs, Whitney Mercilus

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE 1/7/16 http://twitter.com/NFL345

STEELERS WR , TEXANS LB & STEELERS K CHRIS BOSWELL NAMED AFC PLAYERS OF MONTH FOR DECEMBER

Wide receiver ANTONIO BROWN of the , WHITNEY MERCILUS of the and kicker CHRIS BOSWELL of the Pittsburgh Steelers are the AFC Offensive, Defensive and Special Teams Players of the Month for December (December 3-January 3), the NFL announced today.

OFFENSE: WR ANTONIO BROWN, PITTSBURGH STEELERS  Brown led the NFL in catches (51) and receiving yards (642) for the month to go along with six total (five receiving and one punt return).  His 51 receptions are the most of any player in his team’s final five games of a season in NFL history.  He posted at least seven catches in every game during the month, helping the Steelers close the regular season with a 4-1 record and Wild Card playoff berth.  Brown posted eight catches for 118 yards and two touchdowns and added a 71-yard punt-return in the Steelers’ 45-10 win against the Colts in Week 13.  Following a seven-catch, 87-yard performance in Pittsburgh’s 33-20 win at Cincinnati in Week 14, Brown had 16 catches for 189 yards and two touchdowns in the Steelers’ 34-27 win against Denver.  He closed out the month with 61 receiving yards on seven catches at Baltimore in Week 16 and a 187-yard, 13- catch performance with one touchdown at Cleveland in the final week.  In his sixth season from Central Michigan, this is Brown’s third career Offensive Player of the Month Award, surpassing (two), (two) and (two) for the most ever by an NFL and tying Pro Football Hall of Famer for the most in club history.

DEFENSE: LB WHITNEY MERCILUS, HOUSTON TEXANS  Mercilus posted 5.5 sacks, one forced , one fumble recovery and one pass defensed during the month as the Texans ended the regular season with three consecutive wins to clinch the AFC South title.  He posted at least one sack in three of his team’s five games during the month, including five tackles, 3.5 sacks, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery in the Texans’ 30-6 win against Jacksonville in Week 17.  Mercilus, who also registered a sack against the Patriots in Week 14 and Colts in Week 15, finished the year with a career-high 12 sacks.  He led a defense that ranked first in the AFC and second in the NFL in total defense for the month (273.0 yards per game). The Texans were also second in the conference and third in in scoring defense (15.8 points per game) for the month, yielding only 12 total points in the final two games of the season.  In his fourth season from Illinois, this is Mercilus’ first career Player of the Month Award.  This marks the second consecutive month in which a Texan has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Month (J.J. WATT, November), marking the first time an AFC team has had back-to-back Defensive Player of the Month Award winners since Baltimore in 2010 (, November and , December).

SPECIAL TEAMS: K CHRIS BOSWELL, PITTSBURGH STEELERS  Boswell led the NFL in scoring and made field goals for the month, converting 12 of 14 field-goal attempts and all 15 PATs for a total of 51 points.  He converted at least two field-goal attempts in four of five games during the month, including all four of his field- goal attempts (42, 47, 45 and 31 yards) and three PATs for a career-high 15 points in the Steelers’ Week 14 win at Cincinnati.  In his first season from Rice, this is Boswell’s first career Player of the Month Award.  He joins JEFF REED as the only kickers in franchise history to be named AFC Special Teams Player of the Month. 2015 AFC PLAYERS OF THE MONTH

Offense Defense Special Teams September QB , New England LB DeMarcus Ware, Denver K , New England October QB , Cincinnati S , Oakland K Brandon McManus, Denver November WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh DE J.J. Watt, Houston K , Indianapolis December WR Antonio Brown, Pittsburgh LB Whitney Mercilus, Houston K Chris Boswell, Pittsburgh