Talanoa Hufanga earns AFC defensive player of the week honors following two-interception performance
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What happened
Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga recorded two interceptions on passes thrown by Matthew Stafford during a 30-26 victory over the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday, September 27, 2026.
Hufanga returned one of those interceptions for a 66-yard touchdown.
Following the performance, Hufanga was named the AFC defensive player of the week on Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
Why it matters
Hufanga's two interceptions were instrumental in securing a comeback win for the Broncos.
Context
Hufanga, a professional strong safety born in 2000, has been practicing with a ball machine throughout the current season to improve his catching.
Prior to joining the Broncos, Hufanga was drafted by the San Francisco 49ers in 2021 and played 49 games for the team over four seasons.
Sources 3 sources
This briefing cites 2 publishers across 1 detected independent reporting stream. Some cited articles appear to be syndicated or near-duplicate coverage, so they are not counted as separate corroboration.
- Alton Telegraph Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga’s ball-machine grind pays off with pair of picks in win over Rams Detected as syndicated or near-duplicate coverage.
- The Daily Independent At Yourvalley Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga's ball-machine grind pays off with pair of picks in win over Rams Detected as syndicated or near-duplicate coverage.
- Wikipedia Talanoa Hufanga Background reference · Wikipedia text used under CC BY-SA 4.0.