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Buccaneers' LB Alex Anzalone Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
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- Buccaneers' LB Alex Anzalone Named NFC Defensive Player of the Week
(IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect)
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers ' defense stepped up in a big way in the team's 16-0 shutout of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 8.
Though most will remember the game for the Bucs becoming the first team in over 50 years to win a game without completing a single pass, Tampa Bay would not have earned the victory without the tremendous showing from the defense.
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Nobody on Tampa Bay's defense had a better game than linebacker Alex Anzalone.
In fact, no defender in the NFC had a better game in Week 8 than Anzalone, who earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his stellar effort against the Falcons.
Anzalone was a beast against Atlanta. The 10-year veteran, who signed with the Bucs in free agency this offseason, was all over the field. He recorded six total tackles, one TFL, and also nabbed two of Tampa's four interceptions on the day.
It was Anzalone's first career game with two INTs, and the first time a Buc accomplished the feat since Jamel Dean in 2022. Anzalone had never had more than one interception in a season, but now has three this year, tied for the second-most in the NFL, and the most of any non-defensive back.
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Anzalone and Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney are the only two players in the league to record at least three interceptions and a sack this season.
Turning His Season Around
Anzalone was one of Tampa Bay's biggest off-season acquisitions. After five terrific seasons with the Detroit Lions, the 32-year-old signed a two-year, $17 million deal with the Bucs to replace future Hall of Famer Lavonte David, who retired in March.
Unfortunately, Anzalone's tenure in Tampa got off to an abysmal start. He looked absolutely lost in the team's first two games. He was so bad at the beginning of the season that his 43.5 PFF overall grade through eight games ranks dead last among 76 qualified linebackers.
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However, Anzalone has started to turn his season around.
"Thor" earned an outstanding 93.3 overall grade from PFF in Week 8, which was the highest on the team and the second-highest of any defensive player in the entire NFL.
Final Thoughts
Congratulations to Anzalone on winning the NFC Defensive Player of the Week award. It was the first time in his 10-year career that he has received the honor.
Like the Bucs, Anzalone has rebounded from an incredibly difficult start to the season. He is starting to look like the player Tampa Bay envisioned when the organization signed him.
If Anzalone continues to play at a high level for the Bucs' terrific defense, he will have a huge impact on the team's playoff chances, which have skyrocketed over the past two weeks.
Anzalone is one of the league's most respected veterans, and it was very cool seeing him named NFC DPOTW for the first time.
