Week 3 saw a number of teams put together dominant defensive efforts thanks to overwhelming pressure from their defensive lines. These three players stood out from the pack as absolute game-wreckers.
Demarcus Lawrence, Dallas Cowboys
Demarcus Lawrence was a man possessed in the Dallas Cowboys' 23-16 Monday Night Football win over the New York Giants. The edge rusher notched three sacks and three tackles for loss all on his own, but the overall success of the Cowboys defensive line was the real story. The unit harassed Giants quarterback Daniel Jones all night long; the 24 total pressures he faced on his 49 dropbacks were the most of his career, and the most any passer has faced this season.
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| Photo Credit: © Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports |
Brandon Graham, Philadelphia Eagles
The Philadelphia Eagles made their case to be considered the NFC's best team with a thorough 24-8 demolition of their NFC East rival Washington Commanders. Edge rusher Brandon Graham led a defense that notched an absurd nine sacks against Commanders quarterback Carson Wentz, holding the former Eagle to a paltry 2.94 net yards per attempt. Graham stuffed the stat sheet, tallying 2.5 sacks, two tackles for loss, five quarterback hits, a pass defended, and a forced fumble.
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| Photo Credit: © Vincent Carchietta-USA TODAY Sports |
Trey Hendrickson, Cincinnati Bengals
The Cincinnati Bengals needed to turn things around following an 0-2 start to the regular season, and their defense showed up in a major way in Week 3 to make that happen. The Bengals battered New York Jets quarterback Joe Flacco, holding him to 252 net passing yards on 56 dropbacks. Defensive end Trey Hendrickson contributed a crunching performance as a pass rusher, notching 2.5 sacks and a pair of forced fumbles to wrap up the easy 27-12 win.
Photo Credit: © Brad Penner-USA TODAY Sports
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