Washington Football Team’s Ryan Kerrigan named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Ryan Kerrigan has been named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week.

The Washington Football Team was one of the best defenses in the entire NFL during their Week 1 win over the Philadelphia Eagles. Though they struggled early and fell behind 17-0, the defense eventually locked down Carson Wentz and the Eagles offense. They held them to zero points after the initial onslaught and they were able to log a whopping eight sacks on the day.

There’s no doubt that the defense deserves some recognition for what they were able to accomplish, and one player got a well-deserved honor for his performance in that contest.

According to multiple reports, Ryan Kerrigan was named the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts against the Eagles. Kerrigan led the way for Washington with two sacks and had a key fumble recovery late that helped to bury the Eagles.

Kerrigan’s performance was especially impressive considering that he was only on the field for 22 of Washington’s snaps. Thanks to the presence of Montez Sweat and Chase Young, Kerrigan is now in more of a reserve role for Washington that suits the veteran well at this stage in his career. He had very fresh legs when on the field and should have a chance to continue to find success moving forward.

Not only is Kerrigan deserving of this honor, he also broke the Washington Football Team’s all-time sack record thanks to those two sacks. He now has 92 sacks on his career and will have a legitimate shot at getting to the 100-mark this season provided that he can stay healthy.

Kerrigan’s honor completes what was an excellent Week 1 for Washington. Now, they’re going to move forward and focus on their Week 2 matchup with the Arizona Cardinals. Perhaps if their defense plays very well again, they’ll have a chance to open the season 2-0 and have another one of their talented linemen challenge for a Defensive Player of the Week award.