Following a dominant start to the season, the NFL announced that defensive end Melvin Ingram has been named the AFC Defensive Player of the Month.
Ingram leads the conference with 5.5 sacks, which is second most in the NFL behind Dallas' DeMarcus Lawrence (6.5). He's posted a sack in each game this season, and had a career-high three last week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
Three games into the 2017 campaign, Number 54 is more than halfway to his career-high of 10.5.
"He's becoming an elite pass rusher in this league," Head Coach Anthony Lynn said earlier this week. "It's good to see a guy go out and work hard every day, and then see those results on the football field. Because that's the way he practices. "
The Bolts locked Ingram up to a long-term deal this offseason. A perfect fit as the LEO defensive end in Defensive Coordinator Gus Bradley's system, he's made a seamless transition after spending the first five seasons of his career as a 3-4 outside linebacker.
Dating back to last season, Ingram has posted at least one sack in five of his last six games. His 30 career sacks rank ninth in franchise history.