Zach Sieler and Yetur Gross-Matos were big men making big contributions for the Dolphins and 49ers in last week’s wins. As a result, they earned the respective AFC and NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors, the league announced Wednesday.
Sieler registered two significant fourth-quarter sacks in the Dolphins’ 32-26 overtime win over the Jets on Sunday. First, he dropped Aaron Rodgers deep in Jets territory on a third-and-2, forcing a punt. Miami got the ball with great field position at its own 40-yard line and drove for a game-tying touchdown.
Then, in a 23-23 game with only 1:10 remaining in regulation, Sieler sacked Rodgers again, this time on second-and-15 from the Dolphins’ 32. The Jets couldn’t convert a third-and-21 on the ensuing snap and had to settle for a 42-yard Anders Carlson field goal. Tua Tagovailoa then orchestrated game-tying and game-winning drives that sent the contest to OT and earned Miami (6-7) a critical conference victory.
Sieler is just the second former Ferris State player to win an NFL Player of the Week honor, joining Tavierre Thomas (Week 16, 2021). Sieler and the Dolphins are at Houston (8-5) on Sunday (1 p.m. ET, CBS).
Gross-Matos played only 27 snaps but still registered a career-best three sacks in San Francisco’s 38-13 win over Chicago. The first sack forced a Chicago punt during a first half in which the 49ers held the outgained the Bears, 319-4. After halftime, Gross-Matos was even more effective. He dropped D’Andre Swift for a 2-yard loss on a goal-to-go possession in the third quarter, then sacked Caleb Williams on consecutive plays with five minutes left in the game.
The defensive end is back in action on a short week. San Francisco (6-7) hosts the L.A. Rams (7-6) in a pivotal NFC West matchup on Thursday Night Football (8:15 p.m. ET, Prime Video).
For more information on the Dolphins and 49ers, visit the Miami and San Francisco team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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