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Chandler Jones Captures NFC Player Of Week For Second Time

Two sacks in Seattle earns defensive honor

Linebacker Chandler Jones looks to the sideline after his second sack of the game in Seattle last week.
Linebacker Chandler Jones looks to the sideline after his second sack of the game in Seattle last week.

Markus Golden has a saying for pass rushing -- "We're just huntin'" he'll say -- and now, Chandler Jones has started using the term.

"It rubbed off on me," Jones said.

Certainly Jones, after hitting sack dry spell after a five-sack day in Week 1, seems to have found his hunting ways again after a bout with Covid. He went to one of his favorite places, Seattle, last weekend and sacked Russell Wilson twice, forced a fumble, and had a big tackle-for-loss on a run play to lead the Cards' defense in a 23-13 win over the Seahawks.

That's why he was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for a second time this season, following a Week 1 award.

"He is hitting his stride," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said. "He had a couple weeks where he won (against a blocker) quickly and the ball was coming out fairly fast, but Sunday, with the third downs (being longer), he had time to win."

Jones dominates in Seattle. He now has 12½ sacks in his career, good enough for the 10th-most sacks at Lumen Stadium all-time -- even though Jones has never played for the Seahawks, having only played seven times there.

The strip-sack came early in the first quarter -- the Seahawks kept the ball -- but it short-circuited a drive and brought more attention on Jones.

I feel like when you have success early in the game like that, as a pass rusher -- as an experienced pass rusher -- you have to change your game, which I did," Jones said.

It is the fifth time a Cardinal has won a Player of the Week award this season. Quarterback Kyler Murray won for Week 2, cornerback Byron Murphy Jr. won for Week 3 and kicker Matt Prater won for Week 6.

Jones has won a DPOW award five times since coming to the Cardinals, the most in franchise history. Previously he had been tied at four with former safety Adrian Wilson.

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