Kansas City Chiefs running back Kenneth Walker, Buffalo Bills linebacker Greg Rousseau and Cincinnati Bengals kicker Evan McPherson have been named the AFC Players of the Month for September following standout performances over the first three weeks of the 2026 NFL season.
Walker earned AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors, Rousseau was selected as the conference’s top defensive player and McPherson received the award on special teams.
Kenneth Walker Earns AFC Offensive Player of the Month
Walker has made an immediate impact with Kansas City, totaling 442 scrimmage yards and four touchdowns during September.
The Chiefs running back rushed for 360 yards while adding 82 receiving yards. His four touchdowns were evenly divided between two rushing and two receiving scores.
Walker also made NFL history during his first month with Kansas City, becoming the first player ever to record both a rushing touchdown and receiving touchdown in two of his first three games with a team.
He also became just the fifth player in NFL history to record at least 175 scrimmage yards in each of his first two games of a season. Walker joined Hall of Famers Jim Brown and O.J. Simpson, along with Paul Hofer and Billy Sims, in accomplishing the feat.
It marks the first Player of the Month award of Walker’s career. He becomes the third Chiefs running back to receive the honor in the past 20 seasons, joining Kareem Hunt in September 2017 and Jerick McKinnon in December 2022.
Walker is also the third former Michigan State running back to earn an NFL Player of the Month award, joining Le’Veon Bell and Lorenzo White.
Greg Rousseau Dominates for Buffalo Bills
Rousseau put together a huge opening month for the Buffalo defense, recording 15 tackles, eight tackles for loss, six sacks and three forced fumbles.
The Bills linebacker recorded at least two sacks in each of Buffalo’s first three games, becoming only the third NFL player to accomplish that feat since the individual sack became an official statistic in 1982.
Rousseau joins Mark Gastineau, who accomplished it with the New York Jets in 1984, and Hall of Famer Kevin Greene, who did it with Carolina in 1998.
The performance earned Rousseau the first AFC Defensive Player of the Month award of his career.
He becomes the fifth Bills linebacker to receive the honor, joining Lorenzo Alexander, Cornelius Bennett, Sam Cowart and Bryce Paup.
Rousseau is also the fourth former University of Miami linebacker to earn Defensive Player of the Month honors, following Jessie Armstead, Jon Beason and Hall of Famer Ray Lewis.
Evan McPherson Perfect During September
McPherson was perfect throughout September for Cincinnati.
The Bengals kicker converted all eight of his field goal attempts and all eight extra-point attempts, scoring 32 points during the month.
Even more impressive was McPherson’s performance from long distance. Five of his eight successful field goals came from at least 50 yards, the most such conversions in the NFL through September.
It is the second Special Teams Player of the Month award of McPherson’s career, making him the first Bengals player to win the honor multiple times.
McPherson also becomes the only former University of Florida player to earn multiple Special Teams Player of the Month awards.
With Walker providing an immediate offensive spark in Kansas City, Rousseau wreaking havoc on opposing offenses in Buffalo and McPherson remaining perfect for Cincinnati, the three AFC standouts established themselves among the league’s top performers during the opening month of the 2026 season.
Source: NFL
