Bucs S Antoine Winfield Jr. and Panthers WR D.J. Chark – Photo by: USA Today Then, he bookended the month with another Defensive Player of the Week honor in Week 18 thanks to a game that saw him save a touchdown by forcing a goal-line fumble and pick up a sack that ultimately led to a missed field goal. Mind you, these plays came in a 9-0 Bucs win. Over the final six games of the season, the Bucs went 5-1. That was good enough to get them the NFC South title and the No. 4 seed in the NFC. Over those six games, Winfield totaled 41 tackles (29 solo), four sacks, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery and two interceptions. That Defensive Player of the Week performance in Week 18 put the finishing touches on a regular season that saw him finish with 122 tackles (76 solo), six sacks, six forced fumbles, four fumble recoveries, three interceptions and 12 passes defensed. Those were all career highs, and his six forced fumbles led the NFL. Yet, somehow, Antoine Winfield Jr. was snubbed from the Pro Bowl. It makes less and less sense as the days go by and as more and more honors pour in for the fourth-year safety. Antoine Winfield Jr. Had An All-Pro 2023 Season 
Bucs FS Antoine WInfield Jr. and Falcons QB Desmond Ridder – Photo by: USA Today Plenty of respect goes to Atlanta safety Jessie Bates for the season that he turned in this year, but Antoine Winfield Jr. deserves the First-Team All-Pro nod at free safety for 2023. The Bucs’ fourth-year man was just that good week in and week out, seemingly making a game-changing play or two every single Sunday. Winfield was egregiously snubbed from his second career Pro Bowl nod a week ago, though he could eventually make it to Orlando as a replacement. The fact of the matter is, though, he should already have that “two-time Pro Bowler” tag without the need to be a replacement. The 25-year-old has been a playmaker and difference-maker since he first entered the league in 2020, but he stepped up to a new level in 2023. Winfield’s 91.2 overall grade from Pro Football Focus is the best among safeties, plus he topped the position in terms of run defense grade (92.5) and pass rush grade (92.7 – tied with Baltimore’s Kyle Hamilton). He also posted an 85.3 coverage grade and an 86.1 tackling mark. He made PFF’s 2023 All-Pro Team, and that shouldn’t be the only All-Pro honor he earns for 2023. All accolades aside, this was quite the year for Antoine Winfield Jr. It was a contract year for him, and he had exactly the type of season a player would dream of as he enters free agency. The Bucs certainly won’t let him get all the way to the open market, though, as he has earned a long-term contract to be a staple of Tampa Bay’s defense for years to come. Winfield was also a first-time captain in 2023, providing leadership for a defense that desperately needed it. Linebacker Lavonte David has long been the leader of the defense and still is, but it helps for the Bucs to have a young leader who is ready to assume that role when David calls it quits, presumably in the next year or two. Of course, David is no stranger to being a Pro Bowl and All-Pro snub himself, and it’s worth wondering whether Antoine Winfield Jr. might become that perennially underrated player that Bucs fans demand more respect for year in and year out. One thing is certain, though, and it’s the fact that Winfield has earned respect on the national level in 2023. He got exactly that from NFL Network’s Good Morning Football this week, being named the best defensive back in the league this season. THE CHAMP IS HERE Antoine Winfield Jr. rocking the belt for being named the best DB in the league by @gmfb #Bucs pic.twitter.com/YEjv5daoqD — Matt Matera (@matty4_matera) January 10, 2024 The post Antoine Winfield Jr. Caps Career Year With Monthly Honors appeared first on Pewter Report. Source: https://www.pewterreport.com/antoine-wi ... ly-honors/
