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Week 3 of the NFL season has been full of lots of excitement and suspense. Although the offense was plentiful, there were key defensive players across the NFL who made big plays. These players changed the course of the games.
Without further ado, here are the five biggest defensive performances in Week 3.
5 Best Defensive Performances in Week 3
# 1 - Myles Garrett, Browns
Myles Garrett played like a man amongst the boys against the Chicago Bears. Garrett had a jaw-dropping 4.5 sacks against the Bears, who started Justin Fields in his NFL debut. Garrett looked every bit like the NFL's defensive player of the year.
Garrett matched up with left tackle Jason Peters more often than not. Peters is 39 years old and wasn't able to keep up with Garrett's speed. Justin Fields was sacked eight times and only completed six total passes. Garrett was the catalyst for the Browns' defensive front. This performance came after he said the defense needed to play better.
# 2 - Logan Wilson, Bengals
Logan Wilson and the Cincinnati Bengals had a stout defensive game against the Pittsburgh Steelers in Week 3. Ben Roethlisberger struggled all game long and Wilson was the beneficiary of two interceptions. Wilson had an easy interception on a play that Roethlisberger stared him down before throwing it at him.
The Bengals won handily 24 to 10 and Wilson increased his interception total to three on the year.
# 3 - Micah Hyde, Bills
Micah Hyde and Jordan Poyer make up one of the NFL's best safety tandems. Hyde made an interception on Taylor Heinicke, which showed why he's one of the league's best safeties. Henickie thought his wide receiver had a step, but Hyde's blazing speed gave him the jump on the route.
The Buffalo Bills blew out the Washington Football Team 43 to 21. Heinicke never got into a rhythm as the Bills' defense continued to show improvement from 2020. Hyde was responsible for five tackles on the day as well.
# 4 - Marshon Lattimore, Saints
Marshon Lattimore had one of the best defensive box scores in the NFL in Week 3. he had eight solo tackles and two combined tackles. He also had an interception at the end of the fourth quarter on Mac Jones that sealed the game. Lattimore was all over the field after returning from his Week 2 absence.
Jones had his worst game as a pro and Lattimore was a big reason why. Lattimore got a contract extension after Week 1 that made him the highest-paid cornerback in the NFL. He showed he was worth the money with this defensive performance.
# 5 - Byron Murphy, Cardinals
The final defensive performance of note belongs to Byron Murphy of the Arizona Cardinals. Murphy has had an inconsistent start to his career but has stepped up and made big plays in 2021. Murphy had a pick-six that changed the tide of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Jaguars hung with the Cardinals before Murphy's pick-six shifted the momentum.
Murphy had another interception in the game as well as the one highlighted above. Murphy also had four combined tackles. Thanks to him, the Cardinals are 3-0 for the first time since 2015.
Also Check Out: Complete NFL Week 4 TV Schedule
