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Justin Bethel Earns NFC Monthly Honor

With eight tackles, Pro Bowler gets NFC special teams Player of the Month award

Dec 31, 2014 at 01:55 AM

Darren Urban

azcardinals.com

Justin Bethel (28), here pressuring Seahawks kicker Steven Hauschka into a field-goal miss, won NFC special teams Player of the Month.

The Cardinals didn't have the kind of finish to the regular season that they wanted, but it turned out to be a nice month for special

teamer Justin Bethel.

Bethel earned his second straight selection to the Pro Bowl earlier in December, and then Wednesday was named the NFC's special teams Player of the Month. Bethel is the first Cardinal to win a Player of the Month award since Patrick Peterson won the special teams honor in November 2011 for his punt returns.

Bethel led the NFL with eight special-teams tackles in December, and also forced a fumble and down a punt at the 5-yard line. Five of Bethel's tackles were at or inside the 20-yard line. Bethel is only the second Cardinal to win multiple Pro Bowl selections for special teams, joining current Cardinals broadcaster Ron Wolfley (who did it four times from 1986-89.)

Bethel had 18 special teams tackles this season to lead the Cardinals, and blocked the third field goal of his career against the Cowboys in Week 9, a play that won him the NFC special teams Player of the Week award.

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