After one week of the NFL season, the Broncos are very glad they convinced Tracy Porter to sign. And the Buccaneers are very glad they convinced Ronde Barber to stay.
Porter, who signed with the Broncos in March after spending four years as a starting cornerback for the Saints, has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week. And Barber, who stayed with the Buccaneers and moved to safety after contemplating retirement, has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week.
Porter had a game-clinching 43-yard interception return for a touchdown in the Broncos’ 33-19 win over the Steelers. It was the third time in his career that he had a game-clinching pick-six late in the fourth quarter; he also did it in a 2009 game against the Dolphins and in Super Bowl XLIV, when his victim was his current teammate Peyton Manning.
Barber had both a sack and an interception of Panthers quarterback Cam Newton in the Bucs’ 16-10 victory on Sunday. It was the third time in his career that he had a sack and an interception in the same game. This is the 10th career Defensive Player of the Week award for Barber.