Detroit Lions Kalif Raymond earns Week 8 NFC Special Teams Player of the Week
The Detroit Lions have added another weekly award to their team tally in the 2024 season.
Kalif Raymond had a phenomenal showing against the Tennessee Titans in the 52-14 Week 8 victory, and earned NFC Special Teams Player of the Week as a result. He had a 90-yard punt return touchdown as part of a 190-yard performance on five punt return attempts.
Raymond nearly made history on Sunday, as he was 17 yards short of the NFL record for punt return yards set by LeRoy Irvin with 2017 in 1981. His average of 38 yards per punt return was the highest average since the 1970 AFL/NFL merger.
It was the first punt return touchdown for Raymond since 2022, when he ran one back against the New York Jets.
“Oh man, that I got tackled again. Bro, what a lot of people don’t understand is that I’ve been tackled by so many kickers,” Raymond said on the St. Brown Bros podcast hosted by teammate Amon-Ra St. Brown. “So I try to do my best to avoid them and it just don’t work out. When I saw Alim (McNeill) was on the kicker, I was like, ‘Oh, I’m good.’”
The veteran has dealt with adversity previously in his career, such as being released and struggling with confidence. However, he has found a home with Detroit and has flourished as a result.
“I think you have a room and a team full of high-character guys who have faced some type of adversity at some point in their career,” Raymond explained following the team’s win Sunday. “When you have guys that work that hard, care that much and have that much character, you don’t go into any week thinking you’re entitled to anything. You work like that, but more importantly, Saint said it, ‘We practice like that.’ That guy catches 202 balls every day, seen it for the last four years, he doesn’t miss. You’ve got Jared coming in 7 in the morning, leaving 7, 8 at night.”
Congrats to @TomBrady’s 3 stars of Week 8! ✨
– @Browns QB @Jaboowins
– @49ers TE @gkittle46
– @Lions WR Kalif Raymond pic.twitter.com/UjEw5duQm2
— FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) October 29, 2024MORE: Everybody Loves Raymond: Lions WR Represents Team
Raymond’s trajectory is similar to plenty of players on the Lions’ roster with his ability to overcome adversity. This has made him a perfect match with the organization.
“When you’ve got guys like that, there is no drop off as far as expectation and standard because they are setting the standard,” Raymond said. “So we’ve got a bunch of high-character guys, and if we practice the way those high-character guys practice, the results will speak for itself and you can kind of trust that.”
The Lions also incorporated Raymond in the passing game, as he caught two passes for 14 yards and a touchdown as well.
Raymond marks the fifth consecutive week, with the exception of the Week 5 bye, in which a Lion has won a weekly award. Punter Jack Fox earned special teams honors in Week 3, quarterback Jared Goff won offensive honors in Week 4, Brian Branch took home defensive honors in Week 6 and kicker Jake Bates earned special teams honors in Week 7.
