Bears DE Julius Peppers named NFC Defensive Player of the Week

Chicago Bears defensive end Julius Peppers earned NFC Defensive Player of the Week honors for his Week 16 performance against the Arizona Cardinals. Peppers had three sacks, a forced fumble, two hurries, and a pass defended in the Bears 28-13 win over the Cardinals on Sunday.

Peppers has 39 tackles and 11.5 sacks on the season and was named to his eighth Pro Bowl on Wednesday. The 11.5 sacks are the fourth highest total of his 11 year career, and Peppers has one game remaining against the Detroit Lions in Week 17.

This is the fourth time this season that a member of the Bears has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week. Cornerback Charles Tillman earned the honor twice in October and linebacker Brian Urlacher won the award for his Week 9 performance. Tillman and cornerback Tim Jennings were named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for the months of October and September respectively.