Danielle Hunter is a one-man wrecking crew for the Houston Texans’ defensive line.
On Sunday, he caught the attention of the NFL with his performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars en route to a 19-point comeback victory. On Wednesday, the league made sure to pay homage to his accomplishments.
Hunter was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 10, per the league office. Not only was he the star of a 36-29 victory over the Jaguars, but his 3.5 sacks marked a career-high for the five-time Pro Bowler in a single game.
Along with his sack total, Hunter recorded seven tackles (five solo), four tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and one forced fumble in Houston’s comebacker performance. Hunter’s 3.5 sacks are tied for the second-most in single game franchise history and he became the first player in franchise history to total at least 3.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and one forced fumble in the same game.
The former LSU star and Houston native totaled 1.5 sacks in the fourth quarter, including a half-sack on Jacksonville’s final drive to help the Texans clinch their second-largest comeback (19 points) in team history.
“Danielle, he was exploding off the ball yesterday, playing violent, not slowing down,” Texans coach DeMeco Ryans said. “That only works with the interior guys getting the right push. So, I thought our [defensive] tackles did a good job when we were able to push the pocket and they were able to collapse the edge. That’s how the rush works together.”
Hunter’s 3.5 sacks were the second most of any player in the NFL in Week 10, while his four tackles for loss were tied for the most. He joined Myles Garrett and Tuli Tuipulotu as the only players in the NFL this season to record at least 3.0 sacks and one forced fumble in a game. It marked the sixth time in Hunter’s career that he’s totaled at least 3.0 sacks, which is tied for the most such games in the NFL since he entered the NFL in 2015.
Through nine games this season, Hunter has recorded 27 tackles, 7.5 sacks and two forced fumbles. The five-time Pro Bowler is part of a defense that ranks first in the NFL in total yards allowed per game (261.3), points allowed per game (16.7) and ranks fourth in takeaways (15).
He joins C.J. Stroud (Week 5) as the only Texans players to win the AFC Player of the Week this season.
The Texans take on the Tennessee Titans at Nissan Stadium at noon.
This article originally appeared on Texans Wire: Texans DE Danielle Hunter wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week after record-setting day
Reporting by Cole Thompson, Texans Wire / Texans Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
