Tampa Bay Buccaneers rookie cornerback Sean Murphy-Bunting has been nominated for the Pepsi Rookie of the Week award for Week 15 following the team’s 38-17 victory over the Detroit Lions.
Playing in front of his hometown crowd in Detroit, the Michigan native stifled a late fourth-quarter rally by the Lions with a 71-yard interception return for a touchdown, making the score 31-17 with just over five minutes remaining.
The pick-six was the cap on an already impressive performance on the day for Murphy-Bunting, who also led the Tampa Bay defense with eight tackles.
The former Central Michigan Chippewa was targeted all day in coverage as Detriot threw 13 times to slot receiver Danny Amendola, who recorded eight catches for 102 yards. A nice-looking total for the box score, but ultimately inefficient.
Murphy-Bunting is joined on the Week 15 ballot by Dwayne Haskins, Miles Sanders, Tony Pollard, and A.J. Brown. Votes can be submitted here.