Patriots’ Dont’a Hightower Tabbed As AFC Defensive Player Of The Week

Dont’a Hightower was the deserving recipient of the AFC’s Defensive Player of the Week award for Week 6 after his dominant performance in Sunday’s win over the Cincinnati Bengals.

Leading a short-handed New England Patriots linebacking corps, Hightower finished with a team-high 13 tackles against the Bengals to go along with 1 1/2 sacks — including one that forced a game-changing safety — and two quarterback hits.

“Hightower played a hell of a game (Sunday),” Patriots tight end Martellus Bennett said after the game. “(I’m) super excited for him. He’s a guy who comes to work every week and just works hard and works his (butt) off every single week. He had a great game (Sunday), so I’m super excited for him.”

The Defensive Player of the Week nod was the first of Hightower’s career and the first by a Patriots player since Chandler Jones in 2014.

New England players now have earned AFC honors five times this season. The list includes two Special Teams Player of the Week awards (Ryan Allen and Stephen Gostkowksi), one Offensive Player of the Week award (Tom Brady) and one Offensive Player of the Month award (LeGarrette Blount).

Thumbnail photo via Stew Milne/USA TODAY Sports Images