The NFL announced on Wednesday that cornerback Darius Slay has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his efforts in Sunday's 30-13 win over the Denver Broncos. It is the fourth time that Slay has, well, slayed the competition to earn the honor. The first three all came during his time with the Detroit Lions. Slay is the first Eagle to earn Defensive Player of the Week honors since defensive tackle Fletcher Cox in the final week of the 2018 regular season against Washington. T.J. Edwards won Special Teams Player of the Week accolades earlier this season in the win over Carolina.
In the third quarter at Denver, the Broncos lined up to go for a fourth-and-1 from the Eagles' 23-yard line. Running back Melvin Gordon took the handoff, powered forward, only to have the ball ripped out by linebacker Davion Taylor. Slay picked up the ball, bobbled it, regained control, and weaved his way through traffic for his second fumble return touchdown of the season (at Detroit). The Eagles extended their lead to 27-13 and never looked back.
Slay got some help during the week leading up to the game from rookie wide receiver DeVonta Smith, who also benefited with two touchdowns on his 23rd birthday.
And it wasn't just Slay's fumble recovery touchdown that caught the attention of the league. Among cornerbacks with at least 350 snaps in coverage this season, Slay holds the third-best coverage grade.
