Darius Leonard wins his second Rookie of the Week award

Darius Leonard has done it again. He wasn’t cool with all that attention that the offensive line was getting in the form of Ryan Kelly being named to NFL.com’s mid-season All Pro team and Quenton Nelson becoming the first guard to be named Offensive Rookie of the Month.

So he went out and won himself his second Rookie of the Week award of the season.

Leonard has been an absolute beast, and leads the NFL in tackles by 12. There is a strong chance he’ll still have that lead even after the bye week. Leonard’s performance against the Raiders was one of the few bright spots in what was otherwise a pretty dark defensive performance for the Colts. His 9 tackles, 1 QB hit, and a forced fumble helped the Colts seal a win that sent them into their bye week riding a two game winning streak and a wave of momentum.

Leonard has 4 sacks and 3 forced fumbles on the season, and has been a consistent playmaker on a defense that has desperately needed it. The “Maniac” has shown growth and improvement as the season has gone on, leaving many of us wondering just how high his ceiling is.

Just as a point of interest, the number of rookies from elsewhere in the AFC South who have won Rookie of the Week? Zero.

One thing is certain, Leonard burst on the scene intent on making an impact in the NFL, and he has definitely done that. Congratulations (again) to Darius Leonard!