Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Just before halftime in that game, Garrett stripped backup quarterback Tyler Huntley, then picked up the ball and returned it 15 yards for a touchdown, the first score of his career. Not only that Watt also tallied two forced fumbles, an interception, and seven deflected passes. Yet he still does. He can play inside linebacker, strong-side linebacker and defensive end. But in 2019 Watt had 1 more interception, 6 more forced fumbles and 4 more recovered fumbles. Problem is, the eye test makes Garrett, Donald and Parsons legitimate contenders for the award, too. You can see [his] energy throughout the defense." And Donald's numbers, at least in the ever-so-visible sack column, are lagging. The injuries to his groin, hip and knee have kept him out of multiple games. YEAR TEAM G Total Solo AST SCK SFTY PDEF INT TDS YDS AVG LNG; 2022: Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. To be a literal game-changer on defense is something completely special, and he should be recognized. As of Wednesday, 11 starters were on the COVID-19/reserve list, including defensive tackle Malik McDowell, nickelback Troy Hill and safety John Johnson III. SAN DIEGO - For the third time in the last four seasons, Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald won the NFL's Defensive Player of the Year award. Taylor had 9.5 sacks as a rookie. And, if there's recent bias by selectors, Watt is at a disadvantage. ALL-PRO REELS/CC BY-SA 2.0. You got an opportunity where they might hold the ball a little longer and you can get to that quarterback. Panthers' Young all 'business now'. Got his individual hardware. Voting for AP 2022 NFL Defensive Player of the YearT.J. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. I always thought to myself why cant I do that?, T.J. Watt: Im not huge on individual goals, but I was striving for DPOY This season, Donald played 17 games compared to Watts 15 games. The farther the player is to the right side of the graph the more often they were listed as being double teamed. Donald has 10 sacks, which ranks 10th and is six behind Watt. 2 min read. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. That helps your team tremendously. Season highlight: Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Ill take 5 turnovers over 9 plays with lost yardage all day, every day. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Heres your Defensive Player of the Year @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/2dsnuNgsFA. So why does the title of this article say Aaron Donald was the right choice? Levis opens up about draft day The running back does his play action fake and is immediately met by Aaron Donald. Both players . There is every reason for Parsons to be a strong candidate, but 40 years of evidence is tough to overcome. Look at the edge rusher double team rates and the defensive tackle double team rates. Taylor, unofficially -- sacks weren't an official statistic yet in 1981 -- finished with 9.5 sacks as a rookie. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? Aaron Donald has 312 solo tackles, 178 assists, 103.0 sacks and 7 fumble recoveries in 138 games in his career. Despite now being 30 years old, Donald remains a perennial favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. That is crazy. Last season (2020), T.J. Watt lost to Stephon Gilmore who erased receivers off the field for the Patriots. -- Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. His brother began to breakdown after his 5th season in the NFL and it must be noted that T.J. Watt is entering his 5th season. He's a dog out there. T.J. Watt is great, and Ive highlighted multiple times plays he makes to set up team mates. Garrett broke the franchise record for sacks in a game, topping the Cleveland record of four set by Andra Davis in 2003. View a side-by-side comparison of J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald. He's made 103 sacks of the quarterback and has tallied no interceptions throughout his career. Garrett has been in the mix for the defensive player of the year award before, but in 2019, he was suspended the final six games for swinging his helmet at Steelers quarterback Mason Rudolph. But that doesnt do your team any good. Its because of Keith Butler. A look at whos stock is climbing and whos is dipping after the Steelers selections on Days 2 & 3. Good That Watt is happy with individual accolades because the Steelers arent winning anything for a long while, In 15 games and without Favre taking a dive, >>Im not huge on individual goals, but its tough for me not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win it three times. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Last year, Aaron Donald left Steelers fans outraged after he won Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt. Biggest post-draft questions Donald only bested Watt in one basic stat, forced fumbles. Who knows how long the Browns will be short-handed, but Garrett is likely to face even more attention from the Raiders on Saturday as a result. Donald would make history by winning the award -- which is voted on by a nationwide panel of the media -- a record fourth time. He said after winning the 2021 award that it was never anything personal against Donald. Eligibility restrictions apply. Aaron Donald, on this play drives the guard (Kevin Zeitler, hes no slouch) back 8 yards by the time the quarterback takes off, the running back is no help at all. -- Ben Roethlisberger, Caesars Sportsbook odds on winning: + 400, Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and the race for NFL Defensive Player of the Year, Fantasy football rankings for 2023 season, 10 fantasy football breakout players for 2023, Broncos pick up Jeudy's 5th-year rookie option, Bills ink vet Murray after passing on RBs in draft, Source: Ravens decline LB Queen's 2024 option, LB Barrett's 2-year-old daughter drowns in pool, Deion 'ashamed' after only 1 HBCU player drafted, Sources: NFL eyes May 11 to release schedule, Cowboys scout emotional as team drafts his son, Rams use 'Mr. In a vacuum, Watt is having one of the best seasons -- if not the best -- of his career. T.J. Watt had another great season, but he wasnt the best player in 2020. He has set the Cowboys' rookie record for sacks in a season and is closing in on Jevon Kearse's NFL rookie record of 14.5. Both of these players are finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year race. Therefore, he has more of an impact on the football game. But the sequence in Week 14 against the Washington Football Team was probably the best. Aaron Donald is pushing to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time in five seasons. But . He hasn't done it on his own, but he is the engine of the defense. On that play, Garrett also broke the Browns single-season record for sacks in a season, propelling him past Reggie Camp, who had 14 in 1984. Im not huge on individual goals, but its tough for me not to want that when I saw my brother at the height of his career win it three times. Matthew Judon of the New England Patriots has been the best free-agent signing and is filling up the stat sheet. Parsons' teammate, cornerback Trevon Diggs, New England Patriots linebacker Matthew Judon, San Francisco 49ers defensive end Nick Bosa, among others, are also in the DPOY conversation. Thats ridiculous. Pass . His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. The offensive lineman that is first matched up with Donald gets beat almost instantly, and when he tries to hold Donald, ends up getting flung to the ground like a rag doll without Donald even paying him attention, thats how quick and powerful Aaron Donald is. Aaron Donald was the right choice for Defensive Player of the Year, Draft Grades: Mel Kiper grades Steelers, and rest of the AFC North. Archived post. If you look straight down from T.J. Watts name you will find Bud Dupree, who was double teamed more often than T.J. Watt according to Next Gen Stats data. He's proven you can't leave him alone, as he's won a league-best 32.6% of his pass rushes when facing a single blocker. After that happened, Watt tweeted out the Michael Jordan, And I took that personally meme. This is frustrating as health is not promised in the NFL. Watt dealt with various injuries in 2021 and was forced to miss two games, but he still had a career-best season and was rewarded with NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. He's faced 178 double teams on his pass rushes, which ranks third, but still manages to win 24.2% of those battles -- which is, unsurprisingly, the best ranking in the league. Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including news, stats, videos, highlights and more on ESPN Congrats! Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more . I didnt want to just show sacks or tackles for a loss, but I wanted to show how good Donald is on every snap, that he doesnt just collect stats, he drives the entire defense. Their entire defense is built around countering the incredible steps teams have to take to slow down Aaron Donald. J.J. Watt won the award in 2012, 2014, and 2015. T.J. Watt is leading the NFL with 16 sacks, highlighted by his 3.5-sack effort in Pittsburgh's win over the Baltimore Ravens on Dec. 5. The younger Watt brother has emerged as the new face of this current Pittsburgh Steelers era(well until the draft a QB). This is a frequent blocking strategy against Aaron Donald, a slightly delayed double team. Outside of Donald, both charts show that the top tier pass rushers win more when they are double teamed less. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. To get DPOY award means you were the dominant defensive player in the league. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. Say a big welcome to the 2023 Pittsburgh Steelers NFL Draft class! T.J. Watt is an edge rusher and a linebacker, Aaron Donald is a defensive lineman. Time to check on everyones favorite NFL Draft analysts thoughts on the AFC North teams draft grades. -- Trotter. For more information, please see our Aaron Donald is the consensus favorite to win another DPOY after having another quality season with 12.5 sacks. This season, Donald played 17 games compared to Watt's 15 games. Ive talked in film rooms before about the Steelers blitzes and stunts and moving T.J. around and how a lot of the time one of the main payoffs is getting T.J. Watt a 1v1 matchup. Watt Heyward and Minkah wont be in their primes forever. Editor's note: Stats are from ESPN Stats & Information, Highest pass rush win rate (27.0%) among all qualified defenders this season (ESPN metric using NFL Next Gen Stats); has faced a double team on a league-high 277 pass rush plays, Second in the NFL with 47 first pressures, Leads all defensive linemen with 753 snaps played, Why Donald is a strong candidate to win the award: A three-time DPOY winner, Donald has proven to be a game-wrecker throughout his career. Obviously for him just to consistently do what he's been doing, it's great to see. He also hit the quarterback 39 times, making a total of 64 tackles the second-most in his career. Because with Bud Dupree down, he had the chance to do what Cameron Heyward did in 2019 when Stephon Tuitt went down. No, he just did it again. Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. Keep extra players in to block. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. The official Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft class. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald won his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award this season. He does not rush as much as Donald, therefore he does not have as many opportunities to make plays. Even though Watt defended his brother TJ's case in winning the Defensive Player of the Year, it is clear that Aaron Donald is still the best pass rusher in the NFL in the last few years. I don't know who else is the defensive player of the year other than that guy. FILM ROOM: Joey Porter Jr. is exactly what the Steelers needed at CB. CHECK OUT OUR SHOP!DONATE ON PATREON! Keep your eyes on Donald, dont watch the ball. With Garrett leading the way, the Browns defense has surged down the stretch this year, culminating with Sunday's 24-22 win over the Ravens. Aaron Donald has 312 solo tackles, 178 assists, 103.0 sacks and 7 fumble recoveries in 138 games in his career. The individual glory will come and go, but the city will remember a Super Bowl." But most of the time the winner is decided by statistics. This is a repeat of last year except this time it's not justified. For the third time in his career, Donald won the Defensive Player of the Year Award this year. You must be logged in to leave a comment. View a side-by-side comparison of Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt. Hes just not in the same tier as Aaron Donald was in 2020, that top tier of defensive players is just Aaron Donald, head and shoulders above everyone else. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. Youll be just like your brother: Disappear in big games, hurt a lot and a stat padder. No disrespect to Aaron Donald, he is probably the best defender of the last decade and a certified first ballot Hall of Famer but this just wasn't the year to give him Defensive Player of the Year. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Donald splits double teams so well that you want to make him commit to one side of a 1v1 block and then have the help meet him there. 2022 Fantasy Outlook. Steelers' first draft under Omar Khan was 'aggressive' and achieved high marks, After hoopla of going No. But there's a convincing argument to be made that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was deserved DPOY for the just-concluded NFL season. PERIOD! Register now! T.J. Watt stepped up and produced when the Steelers were fighting to play one more game in 2019, in 2020 he didnt. The greats among the greats. Fields also had one net yard passing with Garrett repeatedly swarming him in the backfield. The NFL recently concluded its honors award show and many fans and media personalities alike feel that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was snubbed for the annual Defensive Player of The Year. Both players were deserving after putting together great 2020 seasons, but Donald was simply the more impactful player. We use cookies and other tracking technologies to improve your browsing experience on our site, show personalized content and targeted ads, analyze site traffic, and understand where our audiences come from. Predicting the Steelers jersey numbers for the 2023 NFL Draft class. To be honest, it's also unfair to T.J. Watt's career resume to give Aaron Donald his 3rd DPOY in a year where he did not outperform the Steelers man. -- ESPN Cowboys reporter Todd Archer, Micah Parsons since Week 8: 92.7 pass-rushing grade (1st) 9.5 sacks (1st) 33 pressures (5th)Parsons ranks 85th in pass-rushing snaps during this span pic.twitter.com/0LLFhOd5kg. That game is at the top of that list. Aaron Donald is a dominant player and the best pass rusher in the league. SINCE HE ENTERED THE LEAGUE IN 2019 TJ WATT LEADS IN: Take these two graphs that have been popping up a lot of places. The Center starts with a quick double on the other tackle then tries to pick up Donald but hes too late, Donald is already deep in the backfield by that point. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. Even though they play different positions their stats are still comparable. On behalf of Boot Hill Casino & resort (KS). Aaron Donald has one season of 69 combined tackles. Watt is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. YEAR TEAM G Total Solo AST SCK SFTY PDEF INT TDS YDS AVG LNG; 2022: Los Angeles Rams: 11: 41 The Steelers have Bud Dupree to help take the pressure off Watt, which shouldn't be used against him. T.J. Watt Was Robbed Of the NFL DPOY Award, Free and Easy-to-Use Mock Draft Simulator. The 27-year-old totaled 64 tackles (48 solo) while tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks. ==================================. Collapsing the middle of the pocket and pushing the quarterback farther so the edges have easier angles is important, Cameron Heyward and Stephon Tuitt do a really good job of that and it is a huge part of T.J. Watt and Bud Duprees sack numbers. First look at the X-Axis, bottom of the graph. Our focus will be on Aaron Donald, T.J. Watt, and Myles Garrett because they are the top three favorites for DPOY in that order. Season highlight: It's difficult to pick just one. T.J. Watt, as good as he was in 2020, was even better in 2019, and in that season, his stats and film were better situated to take down Aaron Donald. Until T.J. Watt recently overtook him, Garrett was leading the NFL in sacks for most of the season. and our However, that does not make him the best defensive player. Here the Giants have the guard and tackle on Donald, and the running back looking to help if he goes inside. TJ Watt finished the 2020 season with 53 tackles, 41 QB hits, 15 sacks, and 23 tackles. Quote: "Very impressed. frequently with multiple players looking to help. But the Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle has plenty of competition this time around -- most notably from Pittsburgh Steelers pass-rusher T.J. Watt, Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett and Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who is looking to become the first rookie to win the award since Lawrence Taylor four decades ago. On a defense that's struggled throughout the season, Watt -- who was made the NFL's highest paid defensive player prior to the season -- has been a consistent playmaker. Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more QB hits and 9 more tackles for a loss. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career . There has been a critical error on this website. That is crazy, but it isnt opposing offenses thinking to themselves and deciding that Bud Dupree and his ~12% pass rush win rate is more dangerous than T.J. Watts nearly 30% win rate. For stats, beating a double team and hitting the quarterback James Harrison style is the same as being the closest defender to the ball when the quarterback runs out of bounds inches behind the line of scrimmage, both get counted as a sack. At the NFL Honors show, Watt was named AP Defensive Player of the Year over Donald, the first time in his career hes won the award. But in those 15 games Watt accumulated 22.5 sacks and Donald got 13 sacks. T.J. Watt, as good as he was in 2020, was even better in 2019, and in that season, his stats and film were better situated to take down Aaron Donald. He sacked quarterback Kyler Murray on the first play of the game and on the last, finishing with three sacks and seven quarterback pressures. He had four tackles for loss vs. Minnesota. _______________________________________________ The first play was a completed pass for Dallas, the second his team mate finished the play that he destroyed. But if they lose to Las Vegas with a limited roster, the Browns' chances figure to be diminished significantly, especially with a trip to Green Bay on Christmas Day on deck. And he accomplished that feat in 15 games. But T.J. Watt doesnt drive the defense, teams dont worry about him the way they worry about and focus on Aaron Donald, and yet Aaron Donald still puts up great stats. It also doesnt help that T.J. Watt didnt produce in the playoff loss against the Browns, when the Steelers had their first game without a sack since the 2017 seasons playoff loss to Jacksonville. This play Donald got a stat for. Thats not how you win the defensive version of the MVP award. He has three forced fumbles and two pass deflections. If you picture a stunt, you can also see why these numbers are so much higher across the board, a defensive tackle is often driving a blocker into another blocker, or trying to force two blockers to pay attention to him. Privacy Policy. Donald, Taylor and Watt's older brother, J.J., are the only players to earn the distinction three times. #HereWeGo That's the most sacks over a player's first 10 games of a season since Reggie White had 17 in 1987. pic.twitter.com/JdoycD2nTi, Why Watt might fall short: For as many game-changing plays as Watt has made, he missed opportunities to enhance his rsum with the time missed. How long have you been in Journalism? Its not surprising that Watt won the award. In Sunday's win over Baltimore, Garrett scored his first touchdown, breaking the Browns' single-season record with his 15th sack on the same play. Im not here to bash T.J. Watt and say hes not good, hes really good, hes the best edge rusher in the NFL, and one of the truly elite players on the Pittsburgh Steelers. Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day. Watt winning the honor comes a year after losing out to Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald, who received 27 votes to Watts 20. Those would be impressive stats for an edge rusher, let alone an interior defender. An illustration of the Defensive Player of the Year trophy. Parsons, meanwhile, is making a run at becoming the second rookie to be selected for the award. Full Name: Brandon Unger The stat comparison between Watt and Donald is close. Now look at that same information for defensive tackles. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career with 243 of those tackles being solo and 90 of them assisted. However, TJ Watt is leading the league in that category with 15 sacks - and Watt is leading Donald in plenty of other pass rushing categories. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. Not a one trick pony or a flash in the pan That's what I look for on third and fourth down." His eighth NFL season is no different, and despite being 30 years old, he's shown no signs of slowing. It makes absolutely no sense! pic.twitter.com/m1vzrD88WU. Bud Dupree faces more double teams than T.J. Watt because Keith Butler knows that a 1v1 for T.J. Watt is far more valuable than a 1v1 for Bud Dupree, and shapes his blitzes accordingly. TJ Watt or Xavien Howard will be an interesting defensive player of the year race. He also had a forced fumble in that game, giving him four on the season. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league. Quote: "Anything different than just being Superman out there? TJ Watt has dominated all season, in more areas than one, which is more than what Donald can say for himself. -- ESPN Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor, T.J. Watt has 16 sacks in his 10 games played this season. -- Thiry. But Aaron Donald is at a whole different level of pocket destruction. Quote: "Nothing matters if we don't make the playoffs.