Alabama alumni sweep NFL Defensive Player of the Week honors again

For the second week in a row, former Alabama teammates have swept the Defensive Player of the Week awards in the NFL. And for Week 6 of the NFL’s 2024 season, there’s an Offensive Player of the Week Award winner from the Crimson Tide, too.

Houston Texans defensive end Will Anderson Jr. is the AFC Defensive Player, Detroit Lions safety Brian Branch is the NFC Defensive Player and Baltimore Ravens running back Derrick Henry is the AFC Offensive Player for Week 6.

For Week 5, Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney was the NFC Defensive Player and Denver Broncos cornerback Patrick Surtain II was the AFC Defensive Player.

In the Texans’ 41-21 victory over the New England Patriots on Sunday, Anderson reached career single-game highs with eight tackles, three sacks and four tackles for loss. He also tipped a pass that was intercepted.

Since the NFL began tracking tackles for loss and passes defended in 1999, Anderson recorded the 12th game in which a player had at least eight tackles, three sacks, four tackles for loss and one pass defended.

Anderson became the fifth Alabama alumnus to win a Defensive Player of the Week Award as an NFL defensive lineman, joining Marcell Dareus, Marty Lyons, Antwan Odom and Quinnen Williams.

In the Lions’ 49-7 victory over the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, Branch recorded six tackles, one quarterback hit, two interceptions and one forced fumble.

Since 1999 (when forced fumbles became an official statistic),Branch is the fourth NFL playerwith at least six tackles, two interceptions, one forced fumble and 47 interception-return yards in the same game. He’s the first since 2012 to do so.

Branch made a leaping interception off Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott in the end zone to preserve Detroit’s 7-3 lead in the first quarter. Branch intercepted Prescott again in the fourth quarter, and he returned it 47 yards to the Cowboys 4-yard line to set up a touchdown.

In the Ravens’ 30-23 victory over the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Henry ran for 132 yards and two touchdowns on 24 carries.

Henry became the fourth player in NFL history with at least 20 games of 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns, joining Jim Brown and LaDainian Tomlinson, who had 25 apiece, and Emmitt Smith, who had 21.

Henry tied Adrian Peterson for the fourth-most Offensive Player of the Week awards among running backs with his ninth, including AFC Offensive Player of the Week for Week 4 of this season.

The NFL announced the Player of the Week Award winners on Wednesday.

The other winners were Tampa Bay Buccaneers running back Sean Tucker, NFC Offensive; Indianapolis Colts punter Rigoberto Sanchez, AFC Special Teams; and Chicago Bears tight end (and emergency long snapper) Cole Kmet; NFC Special Teams.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.