One day after being named NFC Defensive Player of the Week, Minnesota Vikings linebacker Za’Darius was named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month.
It’s the first time a Viking has won the award since Everson Griffen in 2017.
Smith was a beast in October, leading the NFL with 6.5 sacks and tied for the NFL lead with eight tackles for loss. Per NextGen Stats his 22 QB pressures were second most in October, just one behind Seattle’s Uchenna Nwosu. Nwosu played five games and 118 more snaps than Smith did, however.
For the season, Smith’s 37 pressures are fourth in the NFL, trailing only Myles Garrett (41), Micah Parson (39) and Matthew Judon (39), according to Pro Football Focus. He and Judon are tied for the NFL lead with 8.5 sacks, though Smith has done it in one fewer game. His 24 QB hurries are second only to Garrett (30), and he leads the NFL with 13 tackles for loss.
Smith’s numbers in 2022 are very similar to what he produced through seven games with the Packers in 2019, when he finished with 18 sacks and led the league with 105 pressures.
- Smith through 7 games in 2019: 37 pressures, 8.5 sacks
- Smith through 7 games in 2022: 37 pressures, 6 sacks
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