Greg Rousseau earned the AFC Defensive Player of the Month award for September, a first in his NFL career and the first for a Buffalo Bills defensive player since Jordan Poyer back in December 2017. Considering what “Groot” unleashed during the Bills’ perfect 3-0 start, this award isn’t just deserved, it’s absolutely inevitable.
Groot’s Reign of Terror in September
Rousseau wasn’t just good, he was on another level, leading the entire NFL with six sacks through September. The dude came out firing, putting up two sacks in *each* of Buffalo’s first three games. On top of that, he tied for the league lead with three forced fumbles. His full stat line for the month is just ridiculous: 15 total tackles, 12 solo tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles, and one pass defended. Yeah, the man was everywhere, and he was punishing quarterbacks every single week.
Joining Elite Company in the Record Books
These aren’t just great numbers, they’re historic. Rousseau became only the third player in NFL history to record at least two sacks in each of his first three games of a season. The company he’s keeping? Absolute legends like Mark Gastineau in 1984 and Kevin Greene in 1998. That’s serious business. And if you’re a Bills fan, it gets even better: Rousseau is now just the third Bills player ever to string together three consecutive games with at least two sacks, standing shoulder to shoulder with franchise icons Bruce Smith (1990) and Bryce Paup (1995). That’s a pretty sweet neighborhood for Groot to be hanging out in. He wasn’t just showing up once a game, either. He had two sacks against the Houston Texans in Week 1, two more against the Detroit Lions in Week 2, and another two against the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 3. Plus, he added two forced fumbles against Houston and another against Detroit. This kind of consistency is just wild, and it’s already within one sack of his entire 2025 season total of seven. His career high is eight, set in both 2022 and 2024, so he’s on pace to absolutely demolish that.
This early season dominance has got us thinking: Rousseau has to be loving whatever the new defensive scheme is cooked up, because it’s clearly unleashed something special in him. The Bills are undefeated, and Groot’s incredible start has been a massive part of that story. What’s next for Rousseau and the Bills? They’re sitting pretty at 3-0, and if he keeps this kind of electric pace, the AFC offenses are gonna be in for a seriously long season. Keep an eye on Groot in October, because he’s just getting started!
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Buffalo Rumblings.
Leave a Reply