Panthers DE Brian Burns named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Week 12’s win against the Denver Broncos already proved to be a special day for Carolina Panthers defensive end Brian Burns. And now, it just got a whole lot more special.

On Wednesday morning, Burns was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in the victory on Sunday. He finished the triumphant afternoon with 2.0 sacks, a forced fumble, an additional tackle for a loss and three total quarterback hits in the 23-10 dub.

Those pair of takedowns on Broncos quarterback Russell Wilson also pushed the fourth-year pass rusher to a new career-high. After two straight 9.0-sack campaigns, the former first-round pick finally cracked the double-digit threshold—chalking up 10.0 sacks in what has been another step towards stardom.

Burns has now been recognized with this honor for a second time. His first NFC Defensive Player of the Week nod came back in Week 11 of 2020—when he recorded five tackles, 2.0 sacks and four quarterback hits against the Detroit Lions.