Jim Greenhill (Public domain), via Wikimedia Commons

Greg Rousseau is first player since 1998 with 2+ sacks in first three games of a season

While quarterback Josh Allen spearheads the offensive MVP discussion for Buffalo, linebacker Greg Rousseau has emerged as a premier candidate for the league's top defensive honor. Rousseau has secured a pair of quarterback takedowns in all three opening contests this year, placing him in an elite trio of players to accomplish the feat since the statistic became official four decades ago.

Mark Gastineau of the New York Jets in 1984 and Kevin Greene of the Carolina Panthers in 1998 are the only other athletes to achieve this rapid multi-sack pace.

With a total of six takedowns, eight stops behind the line of scrimmage, and three strips, Rousseau leads the NFL in all three categories. He has a chance to match Greene's historical mark of four consecutive multi-sack matches during an upcoming matchup against the Patriots.

Betting markets currently list him as the sixth choice for Defensive Player of the Year, trailing Will Anderson, Aidan Hutchinson, T.J. Watt, Maxx Crosby, and Dallas Turner.

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