Denver Broncos safety Talanoa Hufanga has another accolade to add to what is quickly becoming an impressive Denver résumé.
The NFL named Hufanga the AFC Defensive Player of the Week on September 30 following his remarkable fourth-quarter performance in Denver’s 30-26 comeback victory over the Los Angeles Rams. It is the first Player of the Week award of Hufanga’s NFL career.
And the timing adds another layer.
Hufanga’s honor arrives just days before the Broncos travel to San Francisco for a Week 4 matchup against the 49ers, the organization that drafted him and employed him for the first four seasons of his career.
Talanoa Hufanga Made NFL History Against Rams
Calling Hufanga’s fourth quarter productive would undersell it.
The Broncos trailed Los Angeles 16-0 at halftime before mounting their comeback, and Hufanga helped flip the game almost by himself.
He intercepted Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford twice in the fourth quarter, returning the first one 66 yards for a touchdown to give Denver its first lead. Hufanga later intercepted Stafford again in the end zone on the game’s final play to finish off the victory. He also recorded a fourth-quarter sack.
According to the NFL, Hufanga became the first player since sacks became an official statistic in 1982 to record a sack and multiple interceptions — with one of those interceptions returned at least 50 yards for a touchdown — in the same quarter.
His complete stat line included five tackles, three passes defended, two interceptions, a sack, a tackle for loss and a quarterback hit.
It was also enough to accomplish something that had escaped Hufanga even during his first-team All-Pro season with San Francisco in 2022: an NFL Player of the Week award.
Through three games this season, Hufanga has 17 tackles, two interceptions, three passes defended and a sack.
Hufanga Gets Award Ahead of 49ers Reunion
Now comes a particularly interesting encore.
Denver heads to Levi’s Stadium in Week 4 to face the unbeaten 49ers, bringing Hufanga back to San Francisco as an opponent.
The 49ers selected Hufanga in the fifth round of the 2021 NFL Draft. His breakout came one year later, when he earned Pro Bowl and first-team All-Pro honors after recording four interceptions, two sacks and a defensive touchdown.
His final two seasons with San Francisco were disrupted by injuries, including a torn ACL in 2023 and a wrist injury in 2024.
Denver bet on the upside anyway.
The Broncos signed Hufanga to a three-year deal in March 2025 carrying a base value of $39 million, with $20 million fully guaranteed. Incentives can push the contract higher.
So far, the gamble looks considerably less like one.
Hufanga was named a second-team All-Pro during his first season in Denver, and Sunday’s performance produced his first career weekly award.
Now the Broncos get to take him back to the organization where his NFL career began, immediately after one of the best games of it.
Broncos Star Talanoa Hufanga Gets Big NFL News