Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles became the first Washington defensive rookie to earn his weekly award since Brian Orakpo in 2009
While the attention has shifted to week four with the team already in London, a pair of Commanders were honored on Wednesday for their week three performances against the Seattle Seahawks.
Rookie linebacker Sonny Styles was named the NFC Defensive Player of Week after recording five tackles, including four solo, a pair of passes defended, one quarterback hit and an interception in the win. Styles becomes the 39th player in the franchise history to earn the award, in addition to the first Commander since defensive end Ryan Kerrigan was tabbed with the honor in the opening week of the 2020 season.
Styles also became the first Commanders' rookie to earn the weekly award since Brian Orakpo in 2009, in addition to the first rookie within the organization since quarterback Jayden Daniels to earn an NFC Player of the Week honor.
Entering week four, Styles sits fourth on the team with 12 total tackles while his pair of pass deflections are tied with cornerback Rasul Douglas for the second-most on the team.
It marks a deserving feat for Styles, who recorded his first career sack in style after running through Saquon Barkley to take down Eagles' quarterback Jalen Hurts in week one. The rookie will now anchor a linebacker room that has been dealt blows this season with Frankie Luvu sidelined for the week three win, though traveled to London and limited in Wednesday's practice ahead of week four, in addition to Jordan Magee placed on the reserve/injured list after suffering a hamstring injury in week one.
Quarterback Marcus Mariota was also honored after being tabbed the FedEx Air Player of the Week after throwing for 183 yards and three touchdowns while completing 19 of his 31 attempts, ending his day with a 110 passer rating. Mariota added another 11 yards on five carries, yet none were bigger than his nine yard run that sealed the game after facing third-and-seven with 96 seconds left.
Whether Mariota suits back up in week four remains a question mark after quarterback Jayden Daniels was limited on Wednesday and head coach Dan Quinn electing to not announce a starter days away from kickoff. Yet his performance in the week three home opener did enough to instill confidence that he can once again be, at least, a serviceable stopgap solution for offensive coordinator David Blough.
The Commanders will serve as the home team in the week four matchup against the Indianapolis Colts with kickoff set for 9:30 AM ET.
