Nov 25, 2012; Cleveland, OH, USA; Cleveland Browns middle linebacker D’Qwell jackson earns Player of the Week honors after his performance against the Pittsburgh Steelers in week 12. Photo Credit: US PRESSWIRE
The NFL announced Wednesday that Cleveland Browns’ linebacker D’Qwell Jackson has been named AFC Defensive Player for Week 12.
Jackson registered a team-high nine tackles and helped caused two turnovers as he forced a fumble and recovered another during the team’s 20-14 victory against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Cleveland last Sunday.
“(What was) Most important was getting a win against a rival and for the city of Cleveland. They deserved it. I know it has been a rocky year for everybody,” Jackson said. To get a win makes it a little bit better, but it was great for the community and great for the young guys in this locker room to get a win against a rival like Pittsburgh.”
Jackson and the Browns’ defense handcuffed the Steelers to 242 total yards, including just 49 yards on the ground. This outstanding performance marked the Browns’ lowest rushing yards allowed since 2003. In total, the Browns defense forced eight turnovers, which were the most by an NFL team since 2001 and the most by the Browns since 1989.
This is the first AFC Defensive Player of the Week award for Jackson. He is the first Brown to win AFC Defensive Player of the Week honors since linebacker David Bowens in Week 7 of the 2010 season.
In 2011, Jackson was named AFC Defensive Player of the Month for September. While he has received some personal awards, Jackson says that winning as a team is more important.
“That’s something you think about after the season, but I’m not about personal accolades. It’s great, don’t get me wrong. I put a lot of pride into what I do and I’m passionate about what I do. I love what I do and I love playing here in the city of Cleveland. It’s all about everyone in this locker room and the coaches. It’s a little bit better when you win games and as you guys know, there have been some rocky years at times. We had a great week last week hopefully we can carry it over to Oakland, get another win and start a streak here.”
Barry Barnes is the founder of LockerReport.com and you can follow him @2BSports