Vikings CB Byron Murphy Jr. has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Week, the NFL announced today.
It is the first time Murphy has earned the honor during his Vikings tenure, and the second such award of his NFL career. He was previously named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Week 3 of the 2021 season with the Arizona Cardinals. Additionally, the accolade is Minnesota’s fourth consecutive weekly award this season, following three-straight special teams nods from CB Isaiah Rodgers in Week 2, WR Myles Price in Week 3 and K Will Reichard in Week 4. The Vikings are the first team since the 1991 Buffalo Bills to secure a player of the week award in four of the first five weeks of a season.
In Minnesota’s Week 5 matchup at the New Orleans Saints, Murphy intercepted Saints QB Tyler Shough twice in the second half, helping the Vikings to a 23-13 win and their fifth-straight victory to start the season. It was the second multi-interception game of Murphy’s career and his first since Week 3 of the 2021 season at the Jacksonville Jaguars, an outing that also earned him player of the week recognition.
Murphy became the first Viking to record two interceptions in a game since S Camryn Bynum in Week 7 of the 2023 season against the San Francisco 49ers. He also became the club’s first player with multiple interceptions and at least one tackle for loss in a contest since S Harrison Smith in Week 16 of the 2017 season at the Green Bay Packers.
Murphy, who is tied for the NFL lead with three interceptions through Week 5, raised Minnesota’s takeaway total to 10, tied with the Las Vegas Raiders for the second most in the NFL this season, trailing only the Seattle Seahawks with 11. His interceptions extended the team’s streak of games with a takeaway to five, making the Vikings the only franchise with a takeaway in each of the first five weeks of the 2026 season.
The Scottsdale, Ariz, native also played a pivotal role in limiting Shough to 96 passing yards and a 38.1 passer rating, the third-lowest rating by a quarterback in a game this season (minimum 20 attempts). Murphy has contributed to a Vikings defense that has held opposing quarterbacks to an NFL-low 62.9 passer rating, the lowest mark through five games since Buffalo recorded a 60.7 opponent passer rating in 2019.
This award is the 22nd NFC Player of the Week selection under Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell in 73 games, and the eighth NFC Defensive Player of the Week honor under Defensive Coordinator Brian Flores since he joined O’Connell’s staff in 2023.
