The rise of Derek Stingley, Jr. began midway through last season, after he was able to put a hamstring injury behind him, and burst onto the scene with four interceptions in a three game span, culminating with an AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for that third game, a Week 13 win over the Broncos, in which Stingley had two interceptions.
Since then, Stingley has been on a rampage, emerging in his first fully healthy season in 2024 as one of the top cornerbacks in all of football, living up to the promise and potential that got him drafted third overall in the 2022 NFL Draft.
Similar to 2023, he is finishing the season strong, and getting the deserved recognition, as he was named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for a second time in his career for his performance on Sunday against the Miami Dolphins.
This time around, it was Stingley with his second multiple interception game as the key element to taking home the award. Both picks came in the fourth quarter, with the first one squelching what could have been a game tying touchdown drive, deep in Texans territory.
The second pick was a highlight reel play in which Stingley ripped the ball away from All Pro wide receiver Tyreek Hill to secure the win in the final minutes. For the game, Hill was held to just two catches for 36 yards.
Additionally, Stingley showed off his physicality with five tackles, including two tackles for loss, one of which set the tone for the day on the very first play from scrimmage.
No other defensive back in the league had two tackles for loss in Week 15, and Stingley became the first cornerback in NFL history to record two interceptions and two tackles for loss in the same game.
This marks the 61st time a Texan has been named Player of the Week and the 22nd time a defensive player claimed the hardware. Stingley’s award is the fifth time a Texans player has one the Player of the Week in 2024:
Derek Stingley Jr., Week 15, Defensive
Will Anderson Jr., Week 6, Defensive
Ka’imi Fairbairn, Week 5, Special Teams
Ka’imi Fairbairn, Week 2, Special Teams
Joe Mixon, Week 1, Offensive.
