[mm-video type=video id=01ggz6pet06qmz0171p5 playlist_id=01eqbyjpbajmjvnqmj player_id=none image=https://images2.minutemediacdn.com/image/upload/video/thumbnail/mmplus/01ggz6pet06qmz0171p5/01ggz6pet06qmz0171p5-fc9a4f164bbe06b826d06367068bfb30.jpg]
Just a day after winning NFC Defensive Player of the Week for week eight, Za’Darius Smith picked up some more hardware as he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Month for October.
Another award for @zadariussmith!
Smith has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Month.https://t.co/shHXKpVAJ5 pic.twitter.com/MRCfy1QYtl
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 3, 2022
His month of October was excellent. Over four games, Smith torched defenses. He had 12 tackles, eight tackles for loss, seven sacks and PFF credited Smith with 22 pressures.
[lawrence-related id=68263]
The success of Smith should come as no surprise. The only real question came from his injury history. After two injury-plagued seasons with the Green Bay Packers, Smith has found a way to stay healthy.
His pairing with Danielle Hunter has been the catalyst of his success. Teams are paying so much attention to Hunter that Smith has destroyed offensive linemen in one-on-one matchups.
The kicker is that Smith is only a $3.16 million cap hit for the Vikings and $11.424 million on the Packers cap.
Smith has set himself up for a potential All-Pro season as he is currently tied for the league lead in sacks with 8.5.