PFF names Cardinals LB Haason Reddick Defensive Player of the Week
Dec 15, 2020, 10:41 AM | Updated: 11:04 am
Arizona Cardinals linebacker Haason Reddick (43) celebrates sacking Dallas Cowboys quarterback Andy Dalton in the second half of an NFL football game in Arlington, Texas, Monday, Oct. 19, 2020. (AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
(AP Photo/Michael Ainsworth)
The Arizona Cardinals defense was led by linebacker Haason Reddick in Sunday’s impressive showing against the New York Giants.
Getting to Giants quarterbacks early and often, Reddick tallied five sacks and three forced fumbles in the 26-7 victory, etching his name in the franchise record book.
For his efforts in what was billed as a must-win game for the Cardinals’ playoff hopes, the linebacker was named Pro Football Focus’ Defensive Player of the Week on Tuesday.
Haason Reddick: PFF's Week 14 Defensive Player of the Week 🏆 pic.twitter.com/4aoAW8XndD
— PFF (@PFF) December 15, 2020
PFF added that not only is Reddick’s 97.1 the best single-game pass-rush grade of the entire season by an edge rusher, it’s the top single-game grade of the PFF era (2006-present).
The former 13th overall pick entered his Week 14 contest against the New York Giants with a 58.7 pass-rush grade and zero single-game pass-rush grades above 80.0.
That changed against the New York Giants on Sunday, as Reddick put together one of the most dominant pass-rushing outings we have ever seen.
With his five-sack outing, Reddick now sits at 10 sacks on the year. He’s one of six players across the NFL with double-digit sacks through Week 14. Reddick also has 16.5 tackles for loss on his 2020 resume.
Reddick posted a career-high nine QB pressures on 22 pass rushes, tied for the third-most pressures in a game this season by any defensive player, per Next Gen Stats. His 40.9% pressure rate is the highest in a single outing since 2016 for defenders with at least 20 pass rushes.
His performance set a new franchise mark for QB takedowns in a single game, surpassing Curtis Greer’s 4.5-sack mark from 1983.
Reddick is also the first player since 2002 (Vonnie Holliday) to record at least five sacks and three forced fumbles in a game.
“Right now I’m just processing it, I’m just taking it in. I cried at the end of the game, filled with joy, felt blessed,” Reddick told reporters via Zoom on Sunday. “This whole year has just been important to me, to see things going in the way that I want them to (be) going.”
His performance paved the way for a monster day from the defense as a whole.
The unit ended the beatdown with 8.0 sacks and five forced fumbles, becoming the first since the 1998 Tampa Bay Buccaneers to accomplish feat after recording 8.0 sacks and eight forced fumbles in a win over the Green Bay Packers.
