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Colts' Darius Leonard Makes PFF 'Week 17 NFL Team of the Week'

Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been named to PFF's "Week 17 NFL Team of the Week" for his efforts against the Raiders.
Jake Arthur|
Colts' Darius Leonard Makes PFF 'Week 17 NFL Team of the Week'
Colts' Darius Leonard Makes PFF 'Week 17 NFL Team of the Week'

It's far from his first time and almost certainly won't be his last; Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard has been named to Pro Football Focus' "NFL Team of the Week" for his performance in Week 17 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Colts' "Maniac" defender was all over the field at Lucas  Oil Stadium last Sunday,  earning a PFF grade of 85.5 and stuffing the stat sheet to the tune of 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble, 1 interception, and 1 pass breakup. He also provided 2 pressures on the quarterback and was credited with 2 "stops."

The Colts' defense took about a quarter to settle into the game, but Leonard was a key cog once the unit flipped the switch.

His third-quarter interception was a beautiful read where he studied Raiders quarterback Derek Carr and then jumped the route as Carr threw toward the middle of the field. It was Leonard's fourth pick of the year, which is tied for the NFL lead among linebackers. Since 2018, he leads the NFL in interceptions among linebackers (11).

Leonard also forced yet another fumble (his career-high seventh of the year) but the play was too close to the sideline for anyone to pounce on it and create a turnover. He's not getting much buzz for this year's NFL Defensive Player of the Year award but you'd be hard-pressed to find another defender who is creating turnovers in the fashion he does.

One critique of Leonard's performance would be the sack that he missed on Carr that resulted in a 24-yard play for the Raiders on 3rd-and-10 late in the game which helped Las Vegas win the game.

Leonard's performance put him past Quentin Coryatt (525) in the Colts' franchise record book for the fifth-most tackles in team history. Leonard also passed Duane Bickett (524) for the most tackles by a Colts player in their first four seasons.

What did you think of Leonard's performance? Drop your thoughts below in the comment section!

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Jake Arthur
JAKE ARTHUR

Jake Arthur is the co-deputy editor of Indianapolis Colts on SI and has covered the NFL and the Indianapolis Colts for a decade. He is a member of the Professional Football Writers of America (PFWA), and his works have been featured on SBNation, MSN, Yahoo, and Bleacher Report. He has also contributed to multiple NFL Draft guides and co-hosts the Locked On Colts podcast.

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