After a trying start to the year, it appears those who have proclaimed faith in the assured ascension of Dallas Cowboys safety Xavier Woods can poke their chest out.

Woods had a phenomenal effort in Monday night’s 37-18 victory over the New York Giants. Woods checked in with an interception late in the first half that led to the Cowboys taking the lead before intermission, and in the second half had a thunderous hit on QB Daniel Jones, forcing a fumble. Combined with another pass deflection and three tackles, his efforts earned him the Week 9 NFC Defensive Player of the Week award.

According to the team’s website, he’s the first Cowboys’ safety to win the award in over 20 years. The last was George Teague in 1996.

Woods’ Interception

Woods’ Forced Fumble

Back in January, when talk of acquiring Earl Thomas was a key discussion surrounding the Cowboys’ offseason needs, Cowboys Wire penned an article extolling the virtues of Woods as the answer at either free or strong safety.

In one game, he personified this.

Woods, who several predicted would have a Pro Bowl caliber season, started off the year slowly. He didn’t make much of an impact in the first couple of games, and then suffered a knee injury that kept him out of the win over Miami. He recovered quickly, but then had his worst game in a while in a loss to the Green Bay Packers at home.

A light went on prior to the bye week against Philadelphia though, and he turned in his best single-game performance according to Pro Football Focus, earning a 90.1 overall grade when hauling in his first interception of the season. He followed that up with Sunday’s performance and if he can maintain this kind of effort, the Cowboys may finally have the impact safety necessary to carry the team far in the playoffs.