Tag: AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Texans LB Blake Cashman wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his work against the New Orleans Saints.

The NFL announced Wednesday Houston Texans linebacker Blake Cashman has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after the team’s 20-13 win over the New Orleans Saints in Week 6.

The award is the first for the 27-year-old and the 52nd instance a Texans player has been named player of the week. The last Texans player to earn such honors was cornerback Tavierre Thomas after Week 16 in 2021.

Cashman delivered a career-high 15 tackles along with two pass breakups, two tackles for loss, and a quarterback hit against the Saints. Cashman joined Vincent Rey (Nov. 10, 2013 at Baltimore), Brian Urlacher (Oct. 16, 2006 at Arizona), and Angelo Crowell (Nov. 13, 2005 at Kansas City) as the only players to generate that exact stat line. Cashman is also the fifth linebacker to post at least 15 tackles and two tackles for loss in a game this season.

The former New York Jets 2019 fifth-round pick is having a noteworthy start to the season as Cashman has produced 31 combined tackles, four tackles for loss, four pass breakups, and an interception through five games, four of which he has started.

[lawrence-auto-related count=1 category=1365]

Josh Allen named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Josh Allen didn’t get a sack, but his impact Saturday didn’t go unnoticed.

Jacksonville Jaguars pass rusher Josh Allen is the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his season finale performance against the Tennessee Titans, the NFL announced Wednesday.

While Allen didn’t record a sack in the 20-16 win, he did force a fumble from Titans quarterback Josh Dobbs. Allen also scooped up a fumble forced by safety Rayshawn Jenkins and returned it for a go-ahead touchdown with just under three minutes left Saturday.

“He’s really picked it up,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said of Allen on Tuesday. “It’s good to see. It’s good to see him play his best football this time of the year. Great players do that, and we’ve just got to keep him coming that way.”

Allen, 25, was a top 10 draft pick in 2019 and finished the regular season with six sacks. Through four seasons in Jacksonville, he has 26.5 sacks and Allen is due to play the 2023 season on the fifth-year option of his rookie deal.

Last season, Allen earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors in Week 9 when he finished with a sack, interception, and a fumble recovery against the Josh Allen-led Buffalo Bills.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season, safety Rayshawn Jenkins was Defensive Player of the Week once, and kicker Riley Patterson was Special Teams Player of the Week once.

Rayshawn Jenkins named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

It was an easy choice for AFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Rayshawn Jenkins is the AFC Defensive Player of the Week after a career day against the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15.

Jenkins, 28, was a pretty easy choice for the NFL after he became the first player ever to record at least 18 tackles and two interceptions in a game. His second pick Sunday was returned 52 yards for a game-winning overtime touchdown.

Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence has earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors twice this season, but Jenkins is the first player on the team to win on the other side of the ball. Last year, Josh Allen was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week after recording a sack, interception, and a fumble recovery against the Buffalo Bills.

Jenkins began his career with the Los Angeles Chargers and joined the Jaguars in 2021 as a free agent. After Sunday, he has three interceptions on the season with 11 pass deflections and 95 total tackles.

Chiefs CB Jaylen Watson ‘very humbled’ by AFC Defensive Player of the Week win

#Chiefs rookie CB Jaylen Watson was humbled by his AFC Defensive Player of the Week win, but he’s already turned his focus to the #Colts. | from @EdEastonJr

The Kansas City Chiefs made a concerted effort to add more depth in the secondary during April’s NFL draft.

One of their multiple defensive selections was cornerback Jaylen Watson taken in the seventh round of Washington State. The 24-year-old made the most of his opportunity to get on the field early, replacing fellow rookie Trent McDuffie in the lineup due to injury.

In Week 2 against the Chargers, Wayson made his first career start. He played solid defense throughout the game and sealed the victory with a 99-yard interception return for a touchdown. The effort earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, but the success isn’t going to his head, as he explained to reporters in the locker room ahead of Wednesday’s practice.

“I’m very humbled,” said Watson. “It’s a great feeling, but (I) got the ‘24 hour’ rule. Celebrate it, (I’m) glad that it was on a Thursday, so I could celebrate a little longer than 24 hours, but I’m on to the next one.”

Watson finished with four total tackles to accompany his interception in Week 2, he also allowed just three receptions into his coverage on five targets. Watson is proud of the performance but further discussed the things he needs to do to improve upon this season.

“I think I did pretty well in coverage (but) I want to finish better – getting the ball out,” said Watson. “(The) speed is different being in open field (and) trying to tackle ballcarriers. So, just tackling in open space, which is so hard to do at this level (and) just see things faster, keep watching film, (and) get a better chemistry with the guys I’m running with now.”

The rookie has battled his way up the depth chart this offseason and preseason. He proved to millions last Thursday that he belongs in the lineup and can make a serious impact with his play. 

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbwa53mtds520q2 player_id=none image=https://chiefswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[listicle id=136806]

Texans CB Tavierre Thomas named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Houston Texans CB Tavierre Thomas was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16 after the 41-29 win over the Los Angeles Chargers.

For the first time since Weeks 2-3 of 2019, the Houston Texans have had players win consecutive AFC player of the week awards.

Cornerback Tavierre Thomas was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16 following the Texans’ 41-29 win over the Los Angeles Chargers Sunday afternoon at NRG Stadium.

Thomas collected a 48-yard interception return for a touchdown that helped the seal the victory for Houston in the fourth quarter. Thomas also tallied eight tackles, six of them solo, with one pass breakup.

For the week, Thomas, was the only AFC player with at least eight tackles and a pick. Next Gen Stats recorded Thomas as allowing a 37.5 passer rating on five targets, the third-best in the conference for the week.

Thomas winning the award is the 51st time in team history that a player has been named player of the week, and the 18th time in team history a player has garnered defensive player of the week. Last week, cornerback Tremon Smith earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week following his kickoff returned for a touchdown against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Chiefs CB Mike Hughes named Week 14 AFC Defensive Player of the Week

#Chiefs CB Mike Hughes earned AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his Week 14 performance vs. the #Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Las Vegas Raiders 38-9 in Week 14, and now one of the key contributors in that defense-fueled smackdown is being recognized by the league.

Chiefs CB Mike Hughes earned his first career Defensive Player of the Week Award, in his first season representing the AFC. He is the second Chiefs player to win the award this season following Chris Jones, who earned the award after the team’s victory over the Cowboys in Week 11.

Hughes is also the first cornerback on the team to earn the honor since Marcus Peters in Week 15 of the 2017 NFL season. He’s also the first player from UCF to win Defensive Player of the Week honors since A.J. Bouye did so back in Week 10 of the 2017 NFL season.

Hughes kicked off the dominant performance for Kansas City in Week 14, with a 23-yard fumble recovery for a touchdown on the opening play from scrimmage. But the fun didn’t stop there for Hughes, he’d force two fumbles of his own and lead the team in tackles with nine on the night. Hughes also became the first player in the league to register two forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in a single game this season.

The Chiefs acquired Hughes in trade with the Vikings prior to the start of the season. He’s played the majority of his snaps on special teams this year, but stepping in for L’Jarius Sneed in Week 14, he has proven a valuable asset in the secondary. He’s in a contract year, so this performance could pave the way for a second contract with Kansas City or elsewhere.

Joining Hughes this week on the AFC side of things is Chargers QB Justin Herbert, who earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week honors. Both Herbert and Hughes will face off on “Thursday Night Football” in Week 14.

[listicle id=112689]

Broncos CB Pat Surtain named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

We have a feeling Pat Surtain’s going to win many more awards in his career.

Following his two-interception performance against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 12, Denver Broncos rookie cornerback has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced Wednesday.

Surtain also totaled five tackles in Denver’s 28-13 win.

Surtain is the first Broncos rookie to record multiple interceptions — including a pick-six — in the same game.

This might not be the only award Surtain wins this year. Surtain has been nominated for the Rookie of the Week award and he’ll likely be a strong candidate for Defensive Rookie of the Year honors at the end of the season, and perhaps even the overall Rookie of the Year award.

“He played really well yesterday,” Broncos coach Vic Fangio said Monday. “Obviously, the two interceptions everybody knows about, but he’s [broken] up some passes too that were critical. They don’t quite get the same pizzazz that the picks do, but they’re just as critical. He’s been playing good football for us all year.”

It’s safe to say Denver has no regrets over using its first-round pick in April’s draft to select the Alabama cornerback.

“We’re thrilled to have him,” Fangio said. “I don’t want to speak for George [Paton], but I think I am. If we had to redo the draft right now and it was the same players available at No. 9 — it’d be the same pick.”

[listicle id=668701]

Follow the Broncos Wire Podcast:
Apple Podcasts | Spotify | Google Podcasts

[listicle id=667826]

Jags DE/OLB Josh Allen named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

A dominant and historic Week 9 performance has earned the #Jaguars’ Josh Allen the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

After a stellar performance against the Buffalo Bills Sunday, Jacksonville Jaguars pass-rusher Josh Allen has been named the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for Week 9.

Allen had already been playing great as of the last few weeks, but turned it up a notch Sunday with an MVP front-runner, also named Josh Allen, lining up at quarterback  on the opposite side of the field. In the process, the Jags’ Allen made history by being the first to sack, intercept, and recover a fumble from a player with the same first and last name.

Allen also had a busy day as a tackler, garnering a career-high of eight. That figure was good for a team-high Week 9.

Allen joins placekicker Matthew Wright as one of two Jags to win a conference Player of the Week award in 2021. Wright was named the AFC’s Special Teams Player of the Week for Week 6 after he hit a walk-off game-winning field goal to give the Jags their first win of 2021 against Miami.

Raiders DE Yannick Ngakoue wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Raiders DE Yannick Ngakoue wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Sunday against the Eagles, Yannick Ngakoue had his best game as a Raider. His numbers jump off the stat sheet with two sacks, two tackles for loss, two QB hits, and two pass breakups. Quite a complete game for the veteran pass rusher. And today that effort has earned him AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors.

Ngakoue joins teammate Maxx Crosby who took home the award for his effort in the team’s season opening win over the Ravens.

It’s befitting considering after the win over the Eagles, Ngakoue spoke of how he and Crosby are always competing with each other.

“We always compete with each other,” Ngakoue said of he and Crosby. “From our get-offs to how clean we eat, all the way to how much extra work we put in after practice. If you watch the practice, we’re the last two guys to leave. Always notice him looking at me and trying to figure out how he can compete and I’m always looking at him to figure out how I can compete. That’s what I love about him. He’s a guy that busts his ass every day, I see a lot of myself in him, and that’s why he’s having tremendous success.”

It was just last week, in the Raiders’ win over the Broncos in Denver, that Crosby got to quarterback Teddy Bridgewater five times for three official sacks. Certainly sending the message to Ngakoue that he was up. Yan answered the call, putting up his second multi-sack game of the season and moving to second on the team in sacks (4.0) behind Crosby (5.0).

[vertical-gallery id=85065]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Myles Garrett wins AFC defensive player of the week for Week 3

Browns DE Myles Garrett wins AFC defensive player of the week for Week 3 for his outstanding performance against the Chicago Bears

As if there was any doubt…

Myles Garrett and his monstrous performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 3 earned the Browns defensive end the AFC defensive player of the week honors. The NFL revealed the honor on Wednesday.

Garrett sacked Bears rookie QB Justin Fields 4.5 times, setting a Browns team record for an individual game in the process. No. 95 finished with seven total tackles. It was part of the Browns’ incredible defensive effort that sacked Fields nine times and allowed just one net passing yard to Chicago.

It’s the second time Garrett has captured the weekly award. He also won it in Week 4 of the 2020 season against the Dallas Cowboys.