Week 17 Bucs Nation Community Player of the Week: OLB, Shaquil Barrett

It wasn’t the finish anybody wanted in Week 17 for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but there were some positive moments in the loss to the Atlanta Falcons.

One of which came when Shaquil Barrett broke the franchise’s single-season record for sacks, eclipsing Warren Sapp’s previous record of 16.5. Sapp hit the mark back in 2000, two seasons before the Buccaneers would win their first and only Super Bowl in franchise history.

So, the new record stands at 19.5, and everyone expects Barrett to be back in 2020 to give breaking the mark again another go.

On top of breaking the record, Barrett got to Falcons quarterback three times, marking the third time this season he tallied at least three sacks in a single game. Previously, the outside linebacker got to Cam Newton of the Carolina Panthers three times and New York Giants rookie Daniel Jones, four times.

In collecting 71% of the fan votes following the loss, Barrett was followed by fellow outside linebacker Jason Pierre-Paul who earned 12% of the vote, and Breshad Perriman who collected 10%.

The percentages might tell a different story, but several voters expressed a difficulty in picking between Barrett and JPP including this one from Bucs Nation commenter, KRoa,

“I’ve gotta go with Barrett. It’s a tough call between him and Pierre-Paul, but I think Barrett gets the nod with honorable mentions going to White and Perriman.” - KRoa

It’s yet another accolade for Barrett to add to the resume, who has expressed his appreciation of the fans and the organization in what has surely been an amazing experience for he and his family.

But it isn’t over. The multi-time winner of the Bucs Nation Community Player of the Week Award, is just one of six nominees for the fan voted Player of the Year Award.

Keep an eye out for that, coming later today!