Tag: NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Antoine Winfield Jr. wins NFC Defensive Player of the Month

No snubs for this award for Antoine Winfield Jr.

The accolades have been pouring in for safety [autotag]Antoine Winfield Jr.[/autotag]

The Bucs safety has had a monster of a month and has already won NFC Player of the Week for Week 18 against the Carolina Panthers. Now, he’s been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for his efforts in the month of December. Winfield Jr. is the first Bucs defensive back to ever win the honor.

Winfield Jr. netted 41 tackles, four sacks, four passes defended, three forced fumbles, two picks and a fumble recovery in the month of December. The award is one of a number he has received, going from that player of the week award to Good Morning Football’s best NFL DB for the 2023 season.

Winfield Jr. was notably snubbed from the Pro Bowl Games for 2024, but he has the chance to win a First Team All-Pro nod for the 2023 season when those ballots come out on Friday.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5]

Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Antoine Winfield Jr. has won the award twice this season, both times after playing the Carolina Panthers.

The accolades keep coming in for Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Bucs safety has been arguably the best safety in the league this year, and he has another accolade to prove it. Winfield Jr. was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Carolina Panthers, his second such award so far this year. He previously won the award in Week 13, which was also against the Carolina Panthers.

Winfield Jr. was certainly deserving. He put in a great shift against the Panthers in Charlotte, netting a punch-out that saved a touchdown and a sack that pushed an impending Carolina field goal back — one it would end up missing. On top of that, he finished the game with five combined tackles.

With his December, it’s also likely that Winfield Jr. will be a strong candidate for NFC Defensive Player of the Month, which will be revealed soon as well.

[lawrence-auto-related count=5 category=1364]

Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16

Lions safety Ifeatu Melifonwu wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 16

Congratulations are in order for Lions safety Ifratu Melifonwu The young DB is the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his outstanding performance in Detroit’s 30-24 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Melifonwu registered five total tackles, two sacks and a game-sealing interception in Detroit’s Week 16 victory in Minnesota. It was an amazing game in just his third start for Melifonwu. He’s come alive as an agent of aggression in Aaron Glenn’s defense and has helped lead the Lions to victories in the last two games.

It’s ht first time Melifonwu has won the award, and he’s the first Lions player to win the award in 2023.

Ivan Pace Jr. named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Pace became the fifth Vikings rookie to win the award in team history

The Minnesota Vikings’ defense had a great week and the best player on the field on Sunday afternoon against the Las Vegas Raiders got rewarded for it. Inside linebacker Ivan Pace Jr. was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week 14.

Pace was phenomenal for the Vikings this past Sunday. He had 13 tackles, a sack and an interception. He was the first rookie since 2006 to achieve that with the last being DeMeco Ryans, who was with the Houston Texans at the time and now is their head coach.

Pace set the tone early on Sunday getting 11 of his tackles in the first half and ended the first half with a sack of Aidan O’Connell on a well-designed delayed blits. His interception also secured the win for the Vikings as they were able to run out the majority of the clock out.

Pace became the fifth Vikings rookie defender to win the player of the week award on defense in the teams history.

  • 2014: LB Anthony Barr, week 8
  • 2008: CB Cedrick Griffin, week 145
  • 1995: FS Orlando Thomas, week 4
  • 1986: DE Gerald Robinson, week 7

[lawrence-related id=87741,87733,69914,87726,87717,87707]

Vikings earn second-consecutive NFC Defensive Player of the Week

The award went to a Vikings player for the second-consecutive week

The Minnesota Vikings secured their second-consecutive Defensive Player of the Week award as safety Camryn Bynum wins the award for his week seven performance against the San Francisco 49ers.

Bynum was the catalyst for the Vikings win on Monday night. He had nine tackles (seven solo) and two passes defended, but forcing three takeaways (forced fumble, two interceptions) was the major key in the Vikings victory.

After the Vikings threw an interception on their third play, Bynum forced a Christian McCaffrey fumble five plays later and the Vikings scored on the ensuing drive.

He also picked off Brock Purdy twice in the fourth quarter. The first one was a mistimed double move that Bynum had gift-wrapped. The second was much more impressive.

The Vikings played drop-eight coverage with a cover three base and Bynum drops as a robber. He leaps up and snatches the ball out of the air to seal the game for the Vikings.

This is the second player of the week award for the Vikings, as Jordan Hicks won the award the previous week.

[lawrence-related id=85015,85012,84993,84952,84866,84965]

Jordan Hicks wins NFC defensive player of the week

Hicks was phenomenal against the Bears on Sunday and was rewarded for it

After a fantastic performance against the Chicago Bears, Minnesota Vikings inside linebacker Jordan Hicks won NFC defensive player of the week.

It was a great game for the veteran linebacker from Texas, who notched both an interception and a fumble recovery for a touchdown. He also added 10 total tackles and a pass defended.

His scoop-and-score ended up being the game-winner for the Vikings on Sunday.

Hicks has been a standout for the Vikings defense all season. Defensive coordinator Brian Flores has relied upon Hicks to be the one constant on the second level, including playing every snap in multiple games this season.

This is the first player of the week award won by a Vikings player in 2023 after winning four of them in 2022.

[lawrence-related id=84674,84643,84650,84646,84641,84638]

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

From @ToddBrock24f7: This is the 3rd time Parsons has won the award, just 35 games into his NFL career. He’s one away from a tie for the most in Cowboys history.

Micah Parsons was a force of nature in last Sunday’s 30-10 throttling of the Jets, so it’s only fitting that the accolades continue to rain down on him.

Parsons was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week thanks to a stat line that almost defies belief: nine QB pressures, seven QB hits, four tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, a pass breakup, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery.

He even got up and returned the fumble recovery to the end zone for an apparent touchdown, but it was ruled that a Jets defender had grazed Parsons while he was still on the ground.

All in all, though, a thoroughly impressive performance that will get the talk started once again of Parsons for Defensive Player of the Year or even league MVP.

This is the third time Parsons has won the weekly award in 35 regular-season games played.

He won his first as a rookie in the Cowboys’ 20-16 Halloween win over Minnesota, a night when Parsons recorded 11 tackles and four TFLs.

The second came last season in a Week 5 win over the Rams. That day, Parsons notched five tackles, a tackle for loss, two sacks, and a strip of L.A. quarterback Matthew Stafford in a 22-10 win.

[affiliatewidget_smgtolocal]

Parsons is now tied with linebacker Sean Lee for the second-most NFC Defensive Player of the Week awards in team history. With his next, he’ll tie DeMarcus Ware atop the list.

And as if anyone needed further proof that Parsons is playing about as well as a defensive player can in this league, his Madden rating was bumped up Wednesday to a 98.

[lawrence-auto-related count=3]

[mm-video type=video id=01hapt61jbr9maean4bg playlist_id=01eqbwens7sctqdrqg player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01hapt61jbr9maean4bg/01hapt61jbr9maean4bg-f518031d698b75df5404b096f2814229.jpg]

[lawrence-newsletter]

Aidan Hutchinson wins NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Hutchinson is the second Lions rookie to win the award in three week

The Detroit Lions have the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for the second time in three games. Rookie DE Aidan Hutchinson captured the honor for his impressive Week 11 performance in Detroit’s win over the New York Giants.

Hutchinson intercepted a pass, recovered a fumble and three tackles in Detroit’s 31-18 win. He is the first Lions defensive lineman to win the honor since Ezekiel Ansah back in the 2017 season.

Hutchinson joins fellow rookie Kerby Joseph as Lions to capture the NFC Defensive Player of the Week in a month. Joseph won in Week 9. Not bad for a defense that still ranks near the bottom of the league but has mightily improved since the bye week.

Za’Darius Smith named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Smith was dominant against the Cardinals on Sunday

[mm-video type=video id=01ggwmvvn3pptbvkr911 playlist_id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggwmvvn3pptbvkr911/01ggwmvvn3pptbvkr911-96452522623952673bf583fbab601ef0.jpg]

With a performance like Minnesota Vikings outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith had, it should come as no surprise that he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week eight against the Arizona Cardinals.

Smith was nothing short of spectacular against the Cardinals. Per PFF, Smith had four pressures, three sacks and three quarterback hits.

[lawrence-related id=68263]

His success was due to two main factors: his dominant play and the attention that the Cardinals offense paid to Danielle Hunter. They refused to let Hunter beat them by sending constant double teams his way as well as tight ends and running backs to chip away at him in. That paved the way for Smith to have a banner day.

Going into week nine, Smith is tied for the lead league in sacks with 8.5 on the season. He is the second Viking to win a player of the week award with Greg Joseph in week four winning NFC Special Teams Player of the Week.

[listicle id=68272]

Eagles LB Haason Reddick named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

After his dominating performance against the Jaguars, Philadelphia Eagles linebacker Haason Reddick has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Haason Reddick signed with Philadelphia for these types of performances, and after dominating the Jaguars, the SAM linebacker has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.

Reddick had four solo tackles, three pressures, two strip-sacks (both in the fourth quarter), two fumble recoveries, one quarterback hit, and a tackle for loss in the team’s 29-21 effort.

Against the Jaguars, Reddick became the first NFL player in 17 years to record at least two sacks, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries in a game.

The Eagles have had a Player of the Week following each of the first three games this season – Zech McPhearson, special teams in Week 1; Darius Slay, defense in Week 2; and Brandon Graham in Week 3.

[mm-video type=playlist id=01eqbx4gfbwm323hbt player_id=none image=https://theeagleswire.usatoday.com/wp-content/plugins/mm-video/images/playlist-icon.png]

[pickup_prop id=”21800″]

[vertical-gallery id=672770]

[listicle id=672960]

[listicle id=672950]

[listicle id=672734]

[lawrence-related id=673020,673013,672941,672653]