Cardinals linebacker is NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13

Veteran linebacker Jordan Hicks became the sixth member of the Arizona Cardinals to earn Player of the Week honors in 2021.

Several months ago, the Arizona Cardinals gave inside linebacker Jordan Hicks permission to seek a trade. First-round draft pick Zaven Collins was brought in to replace the veteran, and Hicks told the Cards front office that he wanted out.

Luckily for the Redbirds, a deal that would’ve sent Hicks elsewhere never materialized. The 29-year-old went on to reclaim his job from Collins in training camp, and he has since been on the field for an eye-popping 95.73 percent of Arizona’s defensive snaps in 2021.

Hicks was rewarded this week for his outstanding play last Sunday against the Chicago Bears. The 6-foot-1, 236-pounder was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, an honor that Hicks is receiving for the very first time. It’s a bit surprising that the seventh-year pro had never claimed the award before, but it was certainly well-deserved after his dominating performance in the Windy City.

Jordan Hicks dominated for Arizona Cardinals during Week 13 victory

During a cold and rainy day at Soldier Field, Hicks racked up a game-high 13 tackles for the Cardinals. The former University of Texas product also disrupted the Bears’ passing attack, registering two sacks of quarterback Andy Dalton.

Collecting “Player of the Week” accolades has become common practice for the Cards franchise in 2021. Incredibly, Hicks is the sixth member of the Arizona roster to receive the honor through the first 13 weeks.

During a Week 1 triumph over the Tennessee Titans, edge-rusher Chandler Jones took home the NFC’s Defensive Player of the Week trophy. The Cardinals’ sack-specialist took down Titans signal-caller Ryan Tannehill five times, made six solo tackles, and forced two Tennessee fumbles as well.

In Week 2, quarterback Kyler Murray was named the NFC’s Offensive Player of the Week. The squad’s MVP candidate threw for 400 yards and was credited with four total touchdowns during a 34-33 win over the Minnesota Vikings.

Cornerback Byron Murphy was granted the honor in Week 3, tallying two interceptions (one a pick-six), two pass breakups, and four tackles during a 31-19 trouncing of the Jacksonville Jaguars. Placekicker Matt Prater earned the NFC Special Teams Player of the Week award in Week 6 when he converted on three field-goal attempts and four extra points during a 37-14 rout of the Cleveland Browns. Jones received the accolade a second time in Week 11, recording two sacks, four solo tackles, and a forced fumble during a 23-13 handling of the Seattle Seahawks.