As the Houston Texans make their push for a run to the playoffs, one of the catalysts could be the return of cornerback Derek Stingley, Jr. from an early season hamstring injury. Through 2022 and the first half of this season, Stingley, the third overall pick in the 2022 draft, had been an afterthought, spending more time on injured reserve than in the starting lineup.
Stingley returned in Week 10 this season against the Bengals, getting his feet wet with a handful of snaps. The following week against Arizona, he was back with a full workload, and begins a three game stretch in which he’s notched four interceptions, including two this past Sunday against the Broncos. For his accomplishments in that win over Denver, Stingley was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for Week 13.
For the afternoon on Sunday, Stingley finished with one tackle, two interceptions and four passes defensed. The interceptions came at critical junctures in the game, as the Broncos had the ball and were looking to take the lead on both possessions, down 16-10 on Stingley’s first pick, and down 22-17 on Stingley’s second.
This is the first piece of awards hardware earned by Stingley in his career, and he’s the second defensive player on the Texans to take home Player of the Week honors, joining linebacker Blake Cashman, who won the honors in Week 6. Other Texans who’ve won Player of the Week honors this season are C.J. Stroud (Week 9) and Devin Singletary (Week 10).
Four players taking home Player of the Week honors ties for second most in a season in Texans history with 2008, 2009, 2010, and 2014. The record for Player of the Week honors won in a season by the Houston Texans was 2019 with five total.
The Texans take on the New York Jets this Sunday, and the Jets’ defense is led by second year cornerback Sauce Gardner, who was selected one pick after Stingley in the 2022 draft, and was named first team All Pro in 2022. Stingley’s hyper-productive return from injury adds some real juice to this storyline for Sunday’s game.
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This article appears in Jan 1 – Dec 31, 2023.
