The NFL lexicon in recent years has embraced the phrase complementary football. No two players complemented their offenses more than Defensive Players of the Week Edgerrin Cooper and Derek Stingley. The Packers linebacker and Texans cornerback earned the respective NFC and AFC awards for Week 15, the league announced Wednesday.
And what’s important isn’t simply that the young stars are playing so well; it’s also that their teams are playing so well because of them. In addition to Sunday, their contributions have helped Green Bay lead the NFL with 107 points off turnovers. Houston ranks third in that category with 93, behind Buffalo (98).
Cooper, a rookie second-round selection from Texas A&M, intercepted Sam Howell in Green Bay’s 30-13 win at Seattle on Sunday night. His 22-yard, fourth-quarter return set up a Jordan Love-to-Romeo Doubs touchdown that put the game out of reach. Cooper also sacked Geno Smith to force a punt earlier in the game and broke up Smith’s final pass attempt.
Stingley set up similar results for the Texans. The third-year cornerback, Nick Caserio’s first selection as Texans general manager in 2022, intercepted two fourth-quarter passes in Houston’s 20-12 win over Miami last week – both in one-on-one coverage of All-Pro Tyreek Hill. Stingley’s acrobatic theft at the end of the game thwarted the Dolphins’ desperation drive in a one-possession game. Earlier in the quarter, he halted a Dolphins possession in the red zone.
Green Bay (10-4) hasn’t had as many points off turnovers since the Packers finished with 110 in 2014. Cooper’s club hosts New Orleans (5-9) on Monday Night Football this week (8:15 p.m. ET, ESPN/ABC).
Stingley and the Texans (9-5), newly crowned AFC South division champions, are at Kansas City (13-1) on Saturday (1 p.m. ET, NBC) in a potential playoff preview.
For more information on the Texans and Packers, visit the Houston and Green Bay team pages at ProFootballPost.com.
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