CLEVELAND — Amari Cooper's performance in the Browns' win over the Houston Texans was an historic one, so it's only natural that it would earn him league-wide recognition.
The NFL has named Cooper its AFC Offensive Player of the Week following his 265-yard, two-touchdown performance this past Sunday. The yardage mark set a new single-game record for Cleveland pass catchers, and also helped make him the first receiver in franchise history with back-to-back 1,000-yard seasons.
Already established as a four-time Pro Bowler with the Oakland Raiders and Dallas Cowboys, Cooper has been the picture of excellence since arriving on the shores of Lake Erie in 2022, and his 1,250 receiving yards in 2023 already place him No. 3 on the Browns' all-time list for a single year. The figure is also a personal career-high (with still two games left to play), as are his 17.4 yards per catch.
Over the weekend in Houston, Cooper cracked the 1,000-yard mark with a 53-yard reception on the first play from scrimmage and later followed it up with a 75-yard TD, Cleveland's longest pass play since Donovan Peoples-Jones also hauled in a 75-yarder from Baker Mayfield during Week 13 of 2020. Coincidentally, Cooper is also the first Brown to earn Offensive Player of the Week honors since Mayfield in Week 7 of that same 2020 campaign, when the former quarterback passed for 297 yards and five scores in a come-from-behind win over the Cincinnati Bengals.
This season, Cooper is the third different player on the team to get a weekly award from the NFL, with Myles Garrett snagging Defensive Player of the Week recognition back in Week 7 and kicker Dustin Hopkins doing so twice on the special teams side in Weeks 6 and 7.
While this award is certainly deserved, Cooper likely won't be basking in the glory for very long, as he will be turning his attention to Thursday night's game against the New York Jets. If the Browns win, they will clinch their second playoff appearance in four years.