When the Patriots selected Justin Rohrwasser in the fifth round of the NFL Draft few would have suggested Nick Folk would be sticking around.
And when the season began with a few shaky kicks, most believed it was just a matter of time before Bill Belichick replaced the kicker.
But here Folk is, one of the few bright spots on a team desperate for no-holds-barred optimism.
The latest reminder that the 36-year-old is more part of the solution than the problem came Wednesday when he was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week.
Folk is coming off a game against the Jets in which he went 3-for-3 in field goal attempts including a game-winning 51-yarder as time expired in the Patriots' 30-27 win over New York.
It is the third such honor for Folk in his 13-year career and first since 2013.
So far this season, he is 14-of-16 in field goal attempts, having converted 14-of-15 extra-point attempts.
