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After a 28-12 domination of the Atlanta Falcons in Week 1, I made a (not very) bold prediction on Monday:
I think Harris might want to clear off some space on his mantle, because I see a shiny NFC Defensive Player of the Week award in his future. pic.twitter.com/0v2bRSWBOu
— Eric Thompson (@eric_j_thompson) September 9, 2019
Vikings safety Anthony Harris ended up with the ball on all three Atlanta turnovers on Sunday, collecting two interceptions of Matt Ryan and recovering a Devonta Freeman fumble. He also earned the team’s highest grade from Pro Football Focus with a 92.5 score.
It turns out that picking Harris to win the NFC Defensive Player of the Week was a pretty simple choice, as his award was formally announced on Wednesday morning.
A Vikings player winning this distinction isn’t much of a rarity since Mike Zimmer arrived in the Twin Cities. Harris is the 11th Viking to take home the award since 2014. The previous winners under Zimmer’s regime:
- Anthony Barr, Week 8 2014
- Linval Joseph, Week 9 2015
- Terence Newman, Week 10 2015
- Everson Griffen, Week 17 2015
- Eric Kendricks, Week 1 2016
- Griffen, Week 3 2016
- Xavier Rhodes, Week 11 2016
- Harrison Smith, Week 16 2017
- Smith, Week 1 2018
- Danielle Hunter, Week 9 2018
Not a bad way for the 5th-year safety to kick off a contract year. Although I have already said the following in two different articles this week, I think it’s worth repeating:
PAY THE MAN, VIKINGS!
Congratulations to Anthony Harris on his well-earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week award!