The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are 2-2 after the first month of the NFL season, and that’s due in part to the stellar play from outside linebacker Shaquil Barrett, who has a league-leading nine sacks, in addition to three forced fumbles and an interception in four games. No other defender in NFL history has had a better start to the season than Barrett has, and for his effort he has been named the NFC Defensive Player of the Month for September.

After recording his first sack of the season in the 31-17 loss to San Francisco in the season opener, Barrett was named the NFC Offensive Player of the Week after a three-sack performance in Tampa Bay’s 20-14 victory at Carolina in Week 2. Barrett had an even better showing the next week against the New York Giants with a career-high four sacks and two forced fumbles, but lost out on winning the award for a second straight week because Tampa Bay lost, 32-31.

Bucs OLB Shaq Barrett – Photo by: Cliff Welch/PR

In the Bucs’ 55-40 win over the previously unbeaten Rams out in Los Angeles in Sunday, Barrett had four tackles, a key sack-fumble, which was recovered by defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who returned the loose ball 37 yards for the game-clinching touchdown in the fourth quarter. Barrett also got his first career interception in the Rams game, and also hit quarterback Jared Goff’s arm in the first half that led to an errant pass that was picked off by safety Jordan Whitehead.

Barrett, who signed a one-year, $4 million deal with the Bucs this offseason, has at least one sack in all four games this year, and is averaging 2.25 sacks per game. That puts him on pace to reach 36 sacks this season, which would smash the current record of 22.5, which was set by Giants defensive end Michael Strahan in 2001.

Barrett has already hit a performance bonus with eight sacks, which paid him $250,000. The 26-year old pass rusher is due another $250,000 bonus when he reaches 10 sacks, which could come as early as Sunday as Tampa Bay travels to New Orleans to face the Saints in an NFC South tilt.