Panthers cornerback Josh Norman may not have poked anyone in the eye, but he does have plenty of other stuff to brag about.
Norman was named the NFC’s defensive player of the month for September, after turning in a series of late-game plays which have helped his team to a 3-0 start.
He helped seal a win at Jacksonville in the opener with an interception and a forced fumble and recovery (though he didn’t actually poke Allen Hurns in the eye as he said he did twice).
Last week, it was his acrobatic interception in the final minutes to help the Panthers hang on over the Saints. Perhaps as impressively, he’s drawing opponents top receivers, and doing a solid job of slowing them down. He held Texans wideout DeAndre Hopkins to five catches for 53 yards while Hopkins has 17 catches for 199 yards and three touchdowns in his other two games.
It’s an impressive start for the 27-year-old Norman, who will become a free agent after the season.