AFC
Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown takes home AFC Offensive Player of the Month honors in December. In five games, Brown registered 51 catches for 642 yards and five touchdowns and helped Pittsburgh to a playoff berth in the final week of the season.
Houston Texans linebacker Whitney Mercilus was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month, proving there's more to the Texans' defense than J.J. Watt. His 3.5 sacks in the season finale against the Jacksonville Jaguars alone helped him snag this award.
Pittsburgh Steelers kicker Chris Boswell earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Month honors. Boswell went 12-of-14 on field-goal attempts during the month and made all 15 of his extra-point tries.
NFC
Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins was named NFC Offensive Player of the Month after a five-game stretch where he threw 15 touchdowns to just one interception. The Redskins went 4-1 in the process and sealed the NFC East crown.
The NFC Defensive Player of the Month for December is Carolina Panthers defensive tackle Kawann Short. The third-year player registered five sacks and forced two fumbles over the last stretch of the season.
Seattle Seahawks kick and punt returner Tyler Lockett was named the NFC Special Teams Player of the Month. The rookie failed to register a touchdown, but was able to average 27.11 yards per kick return and 16.64 yards per punt return.
Rookies
Arizona Cardinals running back David Johnson earned the NFL's Offensive Rookie of the Month award. Following injuries to Chris Johnson and Andre Ellington, the rookie was forced into the starting role and excelled, with five touchdowns in five games.
Kansas City Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters was named the NFL's Defensive Rookie of the Month. Peters helped the Chiefs to a wild-card berth by snagging four interceptions in their final five games of the season.
