LAKE FOREST, Ill., — It took nine weeks of the season but Chicago Bears rookie tight end Colston Loveland has picked up his first honors in the NFL. On Wednesday, the league announced that Loveland was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week for his performance against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Loveland caught six passes for 118 yards and two touchdowns, including the game-winner with 17 seconds left.
He became the first Bears rookie TE to secure multiple receiving TDs and at least 100 yards receiving in a single game since 1961 (Ditka). Loveland's 58-yard receiving touchdown is the third-longest game-winning touchdown reception in the final two minutes of a fourth quarter or overtime by any NFL rookie since at least 1970. Loveland's 58-yard game-winning receiving TD is the longest game-winning receiving TD by a TE since 2015. Loveland became the first NFL rookie TE to register at least 100 receiving yards and two receiving scores in a game since 1980.
Loveland is the first Bears rookie to be named NFC Offensive Player of the Week since 2016 (RB Jordan Howard, Week 8) and just the third Bears rookie to receive the acknowledgement in the award's history (RB Anthony Thomas, Week 14, 2001). Loveland also became the first rookie TE across the NFL to be named Offensive Player of the Week since 2002 (Giants TE Jeremy Shockey, Week 17).
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