Mario Williams named AFC Defensive Player of Week 7

Buffalo Bills defensive end Mario Williams has been named AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in Sunday's 23-21 road win over the Miami Dolphins.

Williams, who is sacking quarterbacks at a faster pace than any player in Bills history and spearheading one of the most productive Bills pass rushes in recent memory, recorded two sacks of Dolphins quarterback Ryan Tannehill in Week 7. The second of those sacks included a forced fumble, recovered by defensive tackle Kyle Williams, that set up the Bills' game-winning field goal from former Miami kicker Dan Carpenter.

With 10 sacks so far in seven games this season, Williams is currently tied for second in the category alongside Justin Houston of Kansas City; each trails Robert Mathis of Indianapolis, who has 11.5 in as many games. He probably won't continue his torrid pace to break any NFL single-season sack records, but he has a chance at the franchise's single-season record of 19 set by Bruce Smith.

We had a long and in-depth discussion about how the Bills are freeing up Williams this season under new coordinator Mike Pettine, which included looks at how Williams is freeing up his teammates to make big plays, as well. If you haven't seen that yet, don't miss it.