Jalen Mills has been named NFC Defensive Player of the Week for his performance in the Eagles' 33-10 win over the 49ers Sunday.
Mills is the first Eagles cornerback to win the award in a decade - since Lito Sheppard for his play in a win at Dallas on Dec. 16, 2007.
In that 10-6 win at Texas Stadium, Sheppard's interception of Tony Romo and 16-yard return on a pass intended for Terrell Owens set up the only touchdown of the game, Donovan McNabb's one-yard pass to Reggie Brown.
Mills recorded his third interception of the season and a 37-yard return for a touchdown late in the first quarter Sunday. He also had three tackles, a pass defensed and a tackle for loss.
The Eagles limited 49ers quarterback C.J. Beathard to 167 passing yards despite 36 pass attempts and a 46.9 passer rating.
"He wants to be the guy to make the play for us," defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said of Mills on Tuesday. "But that one, in particular, was a huge play in that game. We had battled bad field position pretty much the whole time. It had been back and forth. We had been fortunate to get some stops. I think that was probably the play of the game, getting that touchdown.
"Jalen is playing good, consistent ball for us. He's got his hands on some passes. That's a good receiver that he made the break on (Pierre Garcon), and finishing off with a touchdown, that's what we want to do on defense."
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Mills, a seventh-round pick last year, is tied for third in the NFL with his three interceptions and shares the NFC lead. He's the first Eagles corner with three interceptions in a season since Brandon Boykin had six in 2013 and only the third player the Eagles have drafted in the seventh round or later in the last 20 years with three INTs in a season (Kurt Coleman and Jamar Chaney both had three in 2011).
His INT Sunday was the first of his career at the Linc.
"Finally got it," he said. "Great feeling, man. I really can't even explain it. Seeing the crowd going crazy, my teammates jumping on me, I really couldn't celebrate because I was getting pulled down. I really can't even explain that feeling."
The Eagles' last Defensive Player of the Week was Malcolm Jenkins after the second Giants game last year.
Shepard, the Eagles' first-round pick in 2002, earned three Player of the Week and one Player of the Month award.
Other Eagles corners named Player of the Week were Eric Allen (twice in 1993), Bobby Taylor (1995, 2002) and Sheldon Brown (2004).
The Eagles own the NFL's best record at 7-1 and take a six-game winning streak into their game against the Broncos at the Linc on Sunday.
