Denver Broncos inside linebacker Alex Singleton was a consistent force in the team's Week 7 win over Arizona — and now he's been recognized for it.

The NFL on Wednesday named Singleton as AFC Defensive Player of the Week, the first such honor of his eight-year career.

Singleton was all over the field amid Denver's 30-16 victory against the Cardinals, recording a whopping 19 tackles (12 solo), one sack, and two quarterback hits. The tackles were the most by any NFL player in a non-overtime game since 2023, per the team.

Amazingly enough, they were also "only" the third-most in any game for Singleton, who notched 21 and 20 tackles apiece in a pair of 2022 contests versus the Chargers and Rams, respectively.

Entering Week 8, the 32-year-old longtime defensive captain leads the league in total tackles (87) by a significant margin; the next closest is 49ers ILB Fred Warner with 71.

Singleton is the second Broncos player to capture AFC Defensive Player of the Week this season. Safety Talanoa Hufanga previously earned the award following his performance in Denver's Week 3 win over the Rams.

A Well-Deserved Choice

Perhaps no Broncos defensive player (with the possible exception of Riley Moss) has been more maligned than Singleton, practically since he initially joined the team — and primarily from within the fan base.

However, even the harshest critic would admit that he's been playing fantastic football of late. The Broncos are doing a good job of hiding his coverage flaws and Singleton himself recovered nicely from his disastrous season-opening, missed-tackle extravaganza against the Chiefs.

Such is why the organization has continually rewarded him with contract extensions, including a two-year, $15 million pact this past March. Such is also why he's maintained his position as ILB1 in the middle of Denver's elite defense, the unheralded engine that makes it go.

"Obviously it’s experience, man. I mean, he can call it for me. He is my eyes and ears on the field," defensive coordinator Vance Joseph said of Singleton in August. "He can make adjustments very quickly with his experience, but he’s a tackling machine. He had 170-plus tackles when he was healthy for us for the whole season. So we missed that last year. He’s a hell of a blitzer also. He can cover backs. So obviously having him back this year is going to help our defense go to the next level.”