Adrian Phillips Earns AFC Defensive Player Of The Week Honors

Patriots safety Adrian Phillips performance Sunday in the New England’s win over his former team, the Los Angeles Chargers, earned him AFC Player of the Week honors. It is the first time in his eight-year career he has won the award having spent the first six seasons of his career with the Chargers.

It was Philip’s pick-six of Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert that sealed the Patriots’ 27-24 victory and moved them to 4-4 on the year. The victory kept the Patriots’ playoff hopes alive and in relatively good shape considering the shape of the Conference.

During his first season in New England in 2020, Phillips played in all 16 games with 109 total tacks, one sack, and two interceptions. Through eight games this season, he has 37 total tackles and three interceptions, including the one on Sunday that he returned to the endzone.

“He does a good job of seeing the routes, seeing the quarterback, having vision on the ball. Just good awareness,” said Patriots head coach Bill Belichick following the Patriots win on Sunday. “He’s a good football player. He did that when we opened last year against Miami, the first game in the 2020 season where he made the play on the slant route. He makes those plays in practice, too. He knows football and has good hands.”

Phillips award was the second such award given to a Patriot this season as kicker Nick Folk earned AFC Special Teams Player of the Week earlier this season. Phillips is the first Patriots defensive player to earn the award since Kyle Van Noy in 2019.

The Patriots’ defense currently ranks 8th in points and 13th in yards heading into Week 9 against former defensive standout, cornerback Stephon Gilmore.