Linebacker Nick Barnett of the Green Bay Packers is the GMC Defensive Player of the Week for games played on Sept. 23-24, the NFL announced today.
Barnett recorded seven tackles (five solo) that helped limit Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson to less than three yards per carry in the Packers' 31–24 win on Sunday. Barnett also had a timely fourth-quarter interception at the Green Bay 40. He returned it to the 2-yard line to set up the Packers' second score in a span of 56 seconds and secure the victory.
Barnett was selected from among five finalists by voters on NFL.com. The other finalists were linebacker Gary Brackett of the Indianapolis Colts, defensive end Trent Cole of the Philadelphia Eagles, cornerback Anthony Henry of the Dallas Cowboys and defensive end Mathias Kiwanuka of the New York Giants.
After the regular season, five players will be nominated for GMC Defensive Player of the Year honors. Fans can vote for the winner on NFL.com throughout the month of January.
| !Nick Barnett | | Recorded seven tackles (five solo) that helped limit Chargers RB LaDainian Tomlinson to less than 3 yards per carry in the Packers' 31–24 win over San Diego. Barnett also had a timely fourth-quarter interception that set up the Packers' second score in a span of 56 seconds and secured the victory. |
! | | | !Trent Cole | | Had six tackles (five solo), made 3.5 sacks and forced a fumble in the Eagles' 56-21 win over the Detroit Lions. Cole's fourth-quarter sack came on third-and-17 for a loss of six yards with just more than three minutes to play and diminished the Lions' hopes of scoring. |
| !Anthony Henry | | Recorded two tackles, two interceptions and four passes defensed in the Cowboys' 34-10 win over the Chicago Bears. Henry made his second interception with 12:01 remaining in the fourth quarter and Dallas leading by 10. He returned the ball 28 yards down the sideline for a touchdown and now has a league-best four interceptions on the season. |
! | | | !Mathias Kiwanuka | | Made eight tackles (seven solo), two sacks and forced a fumble in a 24–17 win over the Washington Redskins. Kiwanuka helped hold the Redskins to just 260 yards of total offense in an important divisional win. |
| !Gary Brackett | | Recorded nine tackles (seven solo) and forced one fumble in the Colts' 30-24 win over the Houston Texans. Brackett also made an interception and ran the ball back 26 yards, starting a drive that resulted in a Colts field goal to end the third quarter. |
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