Bills DE Greg Rousseau named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

Buffalo Bills defensive end Greg Rousseau was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his stellar performance in Buffalo’s Week 1 home win over the Arizona Cardinals. It’s the second player of the week honor for Rousseau in the young career of the 24-year-old.

Against the Cardinals, especially in the second half, Rousseau proved to be a nearly unstoppable force, claiming three sacks from quarterback Kyler Murray. Rousseau also made six tackles and forced a key fumble that preceded Buffalo’s offense claiming its first lead of the game late in the third quarter of action.

During the post-game press conference with edge rusher Von Miller and Rousseau, Miller shared what he saw in

“I always knew he was one of the best defensive ends in the league. Like I said after the game, there’s only about five of them and he’s one of them. To go out there and prove it in Week 1, three sacks out of the gate. I think that’s a huge confidence booster.”

As mentioned above, this is the second time Greg Rousseau has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week. In 2021, he earned the honor on the heels of a 38-20 Bills victory in Week 5 against the Kansas City Chiefs. In that game, Rousseau claimed four tackles (3 solo), one sack, and one interception of quarterback Patrick Mahomes.

The question now is what Rousseau has in store for a sequel under the Thursday Night Football spotlight. The entire football world will be watching and waiting to see if Rousseau can make life difficult for quarterback Tua Tagovailoa.

Rousseau could play a key role in disrupting Tagovailoa’s style of play, where rhythm and timing are essential to the Dolphins’ ability to get the ball to speedsters like wide receivers Tyreek Hill and Jalen Waddle. Given Rousseau’s massive, imposing frame and those Route 66-length arms, it’s a fair bet that Tagovailoa will have even less time to get out of harm’s way in Week 2.

While Bills Mafia is still developing as an NFL player, he’ll be watching closely to see if Week 1 provides the perfect confidence-building catalyst for a successful 2024 season for Greg Rousseau.