Antoine Winfield Jr. Earns Another Weekly Award

The Pro Bowl snub of Bucs safety Antoine Winfield Jr. got even more egregious on Wednesday, as Winfield added another big accolade to his impressive 2023 season.

For the second time in six weeks, Winfield was named NFC Defensive Player of the Week. He was once again all over the field and made two game-changing plays in Sunday’s 9-0 victory over the Panthers.

NFC Players of the Week! (Week 18) (by @FastTwitchDrink)@jordan3love | @AntoineWJr11 pic.twitter.com/bu9hgVHPnh

— NFL (@NFL) January 10, 2024

The Bucs pitched their first shutout since 2010 in their Week 18 win, and they owe that almost entirely to Antoine Winfield Jr.

The Panthers actually looked set to take a lead early in the second quarter, with Bryce Young finding DJ Chark for what looked like a 43-yard touchdown. Only it wasn’t, as Winfield came racing over to knock the ball loose from Chark’s hand just before he crossed the goal line. Jamel Dean recovered the fumble in the end zone for a touchback, keeping the game scoreless.

That was the second play of its kind that Winfield has made this season, as he did the same thing to Falcons quarterback Desmond Ridder back in Week 7. As Ridder approached the goal line, Winfield punched the ball out and it went out of the end zone for a touchback, keeping points off the board.

Later in Sunday’s win at Carolina, Winfield made another big play to keep the Panthers from cutting the game to 6-3. He came through with a third-down sack — his sixth of the season — just on the edge of field goal range.

That made it a 52-yard field goal attempt for Matthew Wright, a kicker who Carolina had just signed as an injury replacement. Wright pushed it wide, keeping it a 6-0 game.

For the game, Antoine Winfield Jr. finished with five tackles (four solo), a sack and a forced fumble.

It was quite the response to being heinously snubbed from the Pro Bowl last week, as he put the finishing touches on a regular season that saw him finish with 122 tackles (76 solo), six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 12 passes defensed. Those were all career highs, and his six forced fumbles led the entire NFL.

Antoine Winfield Jr. Dominated The Panthers This Season

Bucs FS Antoine Winfield Jr. – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

The Carolina Panthers may be seeing Antoine Winfield Jr. in their nightmares throughout the offseason, as the fourth-year safety absolutely dominated in both Bucs victories over the Panthers this season.

All you have to do is look at the fact that his two NFC Defensive Player of the Week Awards came from performances against Carolina.

When the two teams met in Tampa at the beginning of December, Winfield notched a sack early in the game before coming through with a late game-sealing interception with 2:21 left in the fourth quarter.

Then, a month later in Charlotte, he forced that game-changing fumble near the goal line before later adding his sixth sack of the season.

What’s even worse for the Panthers — and the rest of the NFC South — is that Antoine Winfield Jr. won’t be going anywhere. The Bucs are bound to make him a priority free agent this offseason and shell out the big-money second contract that he’s earned over the last four years.

Winfield may have been snubbed of his second Pro Bowl nod (for the time being — he still is a replacement option), but he’s made an outstanding case for First-Team All-Pro honors. Truthfully, he’s made a case to be a Defensive Player of the Year candidate as well, though he’s unlikely to be named the winner.

In any case, Antoine Winfield Jr. has put together a career year and is a significant reason why the Bucs find themselves in the playoffs right now. And he’s going to be paid handsomely for it.

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