Patriots’ Josh Uche Earns NFL Honor After Latest Standout Game

The NFL on Wednesday recognized Patriots edge rusher Josh Uche for his great Monday night performance, which continued a recent stretch of excellent games for the third-year pro.

Uche was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week, marking the first time he’s received the honor. The ascending pass rusher racked up three sacks in New England’s 27-13 road victory over the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium and now has an incredible 10 sacks over his last six games.

The Michigan product is the fourth Patriot to earn a weekly honor this season, with Matthew Judon claiming a DPOW in Week 5 and Nick Folk and Marcus Jones winning AFC Special Teams Player of the Week in Weeks 8 and 11, respectively.

Throughout the season, Judon has insisted that Uche is the Patriots’ best pass rusher. He repeated the claim Monday night while sending a warning to future opponents who dare ignore the 2020 second-round pick.

The 24-year-old now has the sixth-highest Pro Football Focus grade among all edge defenders. He trails only Myles Garrett, Brandon Graham, Micah Parsons, Maxx Crosby and Nick Bosa.

Uche will look to continue his excellent play Sunday afternoon when New England visits Josh McDaniels and the Las Vegas Raiders.