Inside The Vikings

Harrison Smith wins NFC defensive player of the week for gem vs. Lions

Smith has to be one of the older guys to ever win conference defensive player of the week.
Will Ragatz|
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) celebrates after catching an interception against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium.
Dec 25, 2025; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings safety Harrison Smith (22) celebrates after catching an interception against the Detroit Lions in the third quarter at U.S. Bank Stadium. | Matt Krohn-Imagn Images

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Harrison Smith's outstanding game against the Lions last week has earned him NFC defensive player of the week honors from the NFL.

Smith was simply incredible in what could be the penultimate game of his career if he decides to hang up the cleats this offseason. He had a sack, a second tackle for loss, an interception, and two batted passes at the line of scrimmage. The 14th-year veteran was all over the field at U.S. Bank Stadium in the Vikings' six-takeaway defensive performance that knocked the Lions out of the playoff picture.

Smith is the second Vikings defender to win the award this year, joining Isaiah Rodgers, who put together an all-time individual performance back in Week 3 against the Bengals. Somehow, it's the first time Smith himself has won the award since Week 1 of the 2018 season, when he had a sack and an interception in a win over the 49ers. He also won it for a two-interception game against Brett Hundley's Packers in Week 16 of 2017. This is his third career DPOW nod, and last week was his fourth career game with at least one sack and one interception.

The data on this would be tough to find, but Smith has to be one of the older players to ever win defensive player of the week in their conference. You often see quarterbacks and a couple other positions play at a high level at that age, but not too many players on the defensive side of the ball are still going as they approach their 37th birthday.

Late in last Thursday's game, Smith got quite the ovation from the fans in Minneapolis, who recognize all that he's meant to the franchise and the reality that this could be his final season. Afterwards, he was emotional as he reflected on the moment.

This week's regular season finale against the Packers could perhaps be the final game of Smith's career. Maybe he'll decide to return for a 15th season in 2026, but that's no sure thing. In the meantime, he's got at least one game left to try to reach 40 career interceptions and become the fourth player in the 40-INT, 20-sack club.

"Harrison Smith's one of the best players I've ever been around," defensive coordinator Brian Flores said this week. "He's one of the smartest players I've ever been around. I've been around a few, some really good ones. And he's brought so much to this organization."

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Will Ragatz
WILL RAGATZ

Will Ragatz is a senior writer for Vikings On SI, who also covers the Twins, Timberwolves, Gophers, and other Minnesota teams. He is a credentialed Minnesota Vikings beat reporter, covering the team extensively at practices, games and throughout the NFL draft and free agency period. Ragatz attended Northwestern University, where he studied at the prestigious Medill School of Journalism. During his time as a student, he covered Northwestern Wildcats football and basketball for SB Nation’s Inside NU, eventually serving as co-editor-in-chief in his junior year. In the fall of 2018, Will interned in Sports Illustrated’s newsroom in New York City, where he wrote articles on Major League Baseball, college football, and college basketball for SI.com.

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