Matthew Judon, Josh Uche edged out by Justin Houston in AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors
BOSTON -- The New England Patriots tied a single-game franchise record on Sunday with nine sacks. Matthew Judon and Josh Uche picked up three sacks apiece in that onslaught.
Alas, neither Patriots defender did enough to earn AFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Those honors instead went to veteran linebacker Justin Houston.
The 33-year-old had a bit of a party himself on Monday night for the Ravens, as he recorded 2.5 sacks while also intercepting an Andy Dalton pass in the fourth quarter of Baltimore's 27-13 victory.
Houston was, obviously worthy of the honors. Yet Judon and Uche arguably had better performances overall.
In addition to the three sacks, Judon also had a tackle for no gain on a fourth-and-1 run by the Colts. Judon finished the game with six total tackles (four solo, two assists) and a fourth quarterback hit, while Uche also had six tackles (five solo, one assist). Houston had three total tackles (two solo, one assist)
Judon also extended his NFL lead in sacks with the three-sack performance, and his place atop the sack leaderboard is sure to garner him some more attention moving forward.
Kicker Nick Folk might also have a case as a snub for Week 9 honors, as Chargers kicker Michael Dicker was named AFC Special Teams Player of the Week after making two field goals (one being a game-winner) and two PATs. Folk was 4-for-4 on field goals, hitting a pair of 43-yarders plus a 49-yard field goal on a blustery day in Foxboro, while also going 2-for-2 on PATs.
Folk earned those honors in Week 8, when he was 5-for-5 on field goals and 1-for-1 on PATs, and had a case to earn the award in back-to-back weeks.
Nevertheless, the Patriots head into their bye week without any league accolades from their victory over the Colts.
