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Arizona Cardinals cornerback Patrick Peterson didn't have the start to the season he wanted in terms of his own play. However, he is playing lights out recently and he was awarded by the league for his play in Week 10, being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
This is the second "Defensive Player of the Week" selection for Peterson after he was first honored in 2013 following Arizona's Week 4 win at Tampa Bay. He becomes the first player in team history to be selected as "Player of the Week" multiple times in two different categories. Peterson was previously honored as "Special Teams Player of the Week" twice as a rookie punt returner in 2011 after Week 9 and Week 12.
Last Sunday, Peterson had two interceptions in the fourth quarter, the second of which he returned 30 yards for his first career interception return for a touchdown. His interceptions came on back-to-back drives for the Rams and gave him his second career multi-interception game and first since the Tampa Bay game last season when he won his first Defensive Player of the Week Award. In his two career multi-interception games, all four of his INTs came in the fourth quarter.
Peterson became just the sixth player in franchise history with multiple interceptions in each of his first four NFL seasons, joining Bill Blackburn (1946-49), Jerry Davis (1948-51), Bill Stacy (1959-62), and Hall of Famers Larry Wilson (1960-63) and Aeneas Williams (1991-94).
Peterson is the fifth different Cardinals player this season to win "Player of the Week" and the third player in the past three weeks. He is the first defensive player to win the award this season after Justin Bethel (Special Teams, Week 9), Larry Fitzgerald (Offensive, Week 8), Chandler Catanzaro (Special Teams, Week 6) and Ted Ginn, Jr (Special Teams, Week 2) were honored this season.
It is the first time since Weeks 15-17 of the 1998 season (Tommy Bennett, Chris Jacke, Kwamie Lassiter) that the Cardinals have had Player of the Week selections in three straight games. The team's five selections this season are the most in a single season since 2009 (seven).