Brian Burns named NFC defensive player of the week

[Roary]

Getty Images

The Panthers shut out the Lions on Sunday, and Panthers defensive end Brian Burns deserves a lot of the credit for that.

Burns had two sacks and hit Matthew Stafford four other times, and as a result he’s been named the NFC defensive player of the week.

The Lions’ offense could get nothing done against the Panthers, who have a young and feisty defense that head coach Matt Rhule has to be thrilled with.

Burns is just 22 years old and already has 13.5 sacks in his two-year career. He and the Panthers’ defense are trending in the right direction.