The Denver Broncos are heading to London to face the New York Jets for week 7 of the NFL season, but before making that trip, they had to face the defending Super Bowl champion and undefeated Philadelphia Eagles.
It was a sloppy game for the first three quarters, but the Broncos stayed within striking distance, eventually taking the lead and securing an incredible comeback and a key win to put Denver in a tie with the Los Angeles Chargers after five weeks of play.
A key reason why the Broncos were able to secure the upset win over the Eagles was thanks to Nik Bonitto. The star outside linebacker is having a remarkable season so far, and after the game, the National Football League announced some deserving news that only helps Bonitto's case for Defensive Player of the Year.
Broncos' Nik Bonitto earns AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors after upset win over the Eagles
Bonitto, going up against two of the best offensive tackles in football in Jordan Mailata and Lane Johnson, put together an incredibly impressive stat sheet. He added 2.5 more sacks to his now league-leading seven sacks on the year, while also making four tackles with two tackles for loss.
The Broncos won 21-17, and Bonitto, who ended multiple drives with his key plays defensively, was a huge reason that the Broncos were able to mount such an impressive comeback.
The 2022 second-round pick has been on a tear this season through five games, and after his Pro Bowl and second-team All-Pro season from 2024, he's looking like a strong candidate to be a First-Team All-Pro and potentially earn Defensive Player of the Year honors.
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Patrick Surtain II won the award in 2024, and now Bonitto is making a strong case to be Defensive Player of the Year. His top competition for the award is Devin Lloyd, a linebacker who, ironically, was the top competition for Bonitto in week 5 for the weekly award.
Lloyd added to his league-leading interception total with a 99-yard pick-six of Patrick Mahomes in the Jacksonville Jaguars' win over the Kansas City Chiefs. Lloyd and the Jaguars helped the Broncos out on Monday night, but Bonitto beat out Lloyd for the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award.
Bonitto signed a massive four-year, $106 million contract extension in the offseason, and so far, he's proving that he's more than worth such a high payday. If he were to hit the open market after this season, he's having so far, then the Broncos would have had a hard time retaining him. Instead, he's locked up through 2029.
The Broncos' outside linebacker more than deserves the week 5 AFC Defensive Player of the Week award, and this accolade is another feather in his cap for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, as he's proving to be one of the best pass rushers in the game.
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