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Kareem Jackson Named AFC's Defensive Player of the Week
Kareem Jackson was a whirling dervish in his return home to Houston to take on the Texans last week. Before the Denver Broncos signed Jackson to a three-year, $33 million deal back in March, he spent the previous nine seasons in Houston.
Needless to say, he was amped to return to NRG Stadium.
He produced 11 tackles (six solo), an interception, three passes defensed and a fumble returned 70 yards for a touchdown. It was a phenomenal display.
For his efforts, not only did Jackson receive a game-ball from head coach Vic Fangio, but he's also been named the AFC's Defensive Player of the Week. It marks the first conference recognition of Jackson's 10-year career, believe it or not, and it's the first time a Bronco has received such an honor since Von Miller did back in Week 11 of 2018.
“He played good, obviously," head coach Vic Fangio said post-game. "He had the interception, the fumble return for the touchdown, had a bunch of PBUs, was active in the tackling. But also had a tone-setting big hit, which got us off the field. It was on a third-down play, would have been a first down. So all in all, I think you could say he had a hell of a game.”
It was also clear that Jackson's teammates rallied around him in his return to Houston. The entire team out-kicked its coverage.
“It was real special," Jackson said after the game. "Especially when we got the guys kind of rallying behind me like that. But for me I wanted to treat it as another game on the schedule. Obviously, I knew I was coming in here early in the year. It's just all about me being a piece of the puzzle. I didn't want to make it all about me and my return here. At the end of the day we had to come here, we had to execute as a team. Regardless if I play here or if it was another team. It was all about executing today and just coming in getting the job done as a team. I felt we did it in all three phases.”
The Broncos defeated the Texans 38-24 and no one saw it coming. Credit Jackson's emotional performance, along with the emergence of rookie QB Drew Lock, as the impetus for Denver's massive upset victory on the road.
Follow Chad on Twitter @ChadNJensen and @MileHighHuddle.
