Colts LB Darius Leonard Earns a Spot on PFF’s ‘NFL Week 17: Team of the Week’

According to Pro Football Focus, Indianapolis Colts linebacker Darius Leonard earned a spot on their ‘NFL Week 17: Team of the Week’ following his strong performance against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the season’s finale—during a playoff-clinching win:

PFF TEAM OF THE WEEK

Offense

QB: Tom Brady, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

RB: J.K. Dobbins, Baltimore Ravens

WR: A.J. Brown, Tennessee Titans

WR: Antonio Brown, Tampa Bay Buccaneers

TE: Pharaoh Brown, Houston Texans

FLEX: Marvin Jones Jr., Detroit Lions

LT: Terron Armstead, New Orleans Saints

LG: Bradley Bozeman, Baltimore Ravens

C: Connor McGovern, New York Jets

RG: Nate Herbig, Philadelphia Eagles

RT: Trey Pipkins, Los Angeles Chargers

Defense

DI: Aaron Donald, Los Angeles Rams

DI: Maliek Collins, Las Vegas Raiders

EDGE: Cameron Jordan, New Orleans Saints

EDGE: J.J. Watt, Houston Texans

LB: Darius Leonard, Indianapolis Colts

LB: Tyler Matakevich, Buffalo Bills

CB: Troy Hill, Los Angeles Rams

CB: Jonathan Jones, New England Patriots

S: Adrian Amos, Green Bay Packers

S: Kareem Jackson, Denver Broncos

FLEX D: Jaire Alexander, Green Bay Packers

‘The Maniac’ received a +89.9 grade overall from PFF, as he had a +81.7 tackling and +91.7 pass rushing grade—and rightfully so, after he obliterated Jaguars starting quarterback Mike Glennon in the pocket for a strip-sack:

Leonard finished with 10 tackles (8 solo), a sack, a forced fumble, and 2 passes defensed during this past Sunday’s must-win. PFF also credited him with 5 stops (which are tackles that constitute a ‘failure’ for the offense).

He was targeted 7 times in coverage for 5 receptions for 38 receiving yards (7.6 ypr. avg.) and a passer rating of 71.4.

On the season, Leonard has received a +72.6 overall grade from PFF.

The reigning 2x NFL All-Pro has 132 tackles (86 solo), 7 tackles for loss, 3.0 sacks, 7 passes defensed, 3 forced fumbles, and 2 fumble recoveries during 14 starts in 2020.

He’s earned another Pro Bowl appearance already, but Darius Leonard and the Colts defense still have something left to prove in the playoffs against the Buffalo Bills’ 2nd highest scoring league offense during this weekend’s challenging wild card matchup.

The Colts may very well need the Maniac in full-force, wreaking havoc to pull off the upset.