The National Football League announced today that Washington Redskins running back Alfred Morris has been named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 17.
His selection marks the first time in the history of the award that a rookie running back and rookie quarterback (Robert Griffin III – Weeks 1 and 11) from the same team have won the award in the same season.
Morris (5-10, 218) is the first Redskins rookie running back to receive the honor, and the team's first running back since Clinton Portis in Week 5 of the 2008 season to win the award.
In Week 17, Morris rushed 33 times for 200 rushing yards with three touchdowns, all career highs, helping the Redskins defeat Dallas, 28-18, for the team's first division title since 1999.
With 200 yards last Sunday, Morris finished the season with 1,613 yards, second-most in the NFL, breaking Portis' team record for rushing yards in a season (1,516 in 2005).
In addition, he became the fourth rookie in NFL history to reach the 1,600-yard mark rushing, joining Eric Dickerson (1,808 in 1983), George Rogers (1,674 in 1981) and Ottis Anderson (1,605 in 1979).
Morris' 200-yard rushing performance is a Redskins rookie record and is the first by a Redskin of any experience level since Gerald Riggs' team-record 221 yards on Sept. 17, 1989, vs. Philadelphia.
The 33 carries were the most since Portis had 36 rushing attempts on Nov. 4, 2007.
For the season, Morris, 24, finished first in the NFL in broken tackles (22) and first in the NFC with 13 rushing touchdowns.
He also led all NFL rookies in rushing attempts (335), total first downs (86), rushing first downs (83) and rushes of 10 or more yards (55).
Morris and Griffin III became the first rookie running back/quarterback tandem to post 1,000 yards rushing and 3,000 yards passing.
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