During week 7, the Denver Broncos defense pushed the New Orleans Saints to just 10 points Thursday Night Footballand the player with the biggest impact was linebacker Cody Barton. Barton finished Thursday’s game with eight tackles (six solo), one sack, one quarterback hit, one pass defensed and a 52-yard fumble return for a touchdown.
Head coach Sean Payton spoke about Barton’s success Wednesday. “I’m proud of (Barton),” Payton said. “Certainly, when you look at the game, he was one of the defenders who got the ball. It was a very good game for him.”
Barton also had the opportunity to speak to the media about this weekly honor. “It was an honor to receive this award,” Barton said. “It makes me feel good, but it also makes me happy for my teammates. I know there are a lot of plays I wouldn’t have been able to make, like the touchdown at the end, if my teammates weren’t in the backfield to play Although it was brilliant to get an award individually, I attribute it to my teammates.
The Broncos defense held the Saints to 271 total yards and forced two turnovers. Barton replaced injured Denver linebacker Alex Singleton as the defense’s signal-caller.
“The good thing about this defense and something I like about this defense is that everyone eats,” Barton said. “You don’t know what day it’s going to be. In this defense, everyone plays and everyone gets a chance to eat. It’s a lot of fun.
The Broncos should put together another excellent defensive performance on Sunday against the Carolina Panthers.
This article was originally published on Broncos Wire: ILB Cody Barton wins AFC Defensive Player of the Week
