Despite this being true, with Donald having a 70 percent double team percentage compared to Watts 15 percent, it does not tell the whole story. Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more QB hits and 9 more tackles for a loss. Obviously for him just to consistently do what he's been doing, it's great to see. He leads Donald in a majority of stats and he has less defensive weapons on his team. Aaron Donald is the consensus favorite to win another DPOY after having another quality season with 12.5 sacks. Making his success stand out even more than Donalds in a large way as the Rams defense that Donald is a part of is one of the more dominant defenses in the NFL year after year forcing offenses to take their focus away from Donald more often than they do to Watt. If the Steelers send 5, the offense has three options: 1. In my opinion, I think that Watt deserves Defensive Player of the Year Award. Donald makes heavy contact with three Cowboys blockers on this play, and it buys Prescott enough time to get the ball out. THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE! Watt, who didn't practice after testing positive for COVID-19 earlier that week, also had six quarterback hits in the game, the most since he had five against the Buffalo Bills in Week 1. You must be logged in to leave a comment. 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. That is crazy. Time for Tomlin and co to figure this S*** out and get this team back into title contention. 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. "First and second down, those are the time you're like in the mix of run and pass, but third down and fourth down is when you hunt," Parsons said. The stat comparison between Watt and Donald is close. Parsons has surpassed that. But in 2019 Watt had 1 more interception, 6 more forced fumbles and 4 more recovered fumbles. But being the best pass rusher does not make you the defensive player of the year. Quote: "Very impressed. Journalism Position:Staffer 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 -- 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. The 27-year-old totaled 64 tackles (48 solo) while tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks. Stock Report: Whose stock is rising, and falling, after Rounds 2-7. Full Name: Brandon Unger In 2020, over 10 percent of his snaps were in coverage against wide receivers and tight ends. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? There is every reason for Parsons to be a strong candidate, but 40 years of evidence is tough to overcome. 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. But . This award is different. Watt also has seasons with 65 59 and 57 tackles. 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. This play Donald got a stat for. SUBSCRIBE! Donald also tipped a pass that linebacker Ernest Jones intercepted and the Rams converted that miscue into a touchdown to take a 7-3 lead in the second quarter. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. He hasn't done it on his own, but he is the engine of the defense. He does not rush as much as Donald, therefore he does not have as many opportunities to make plays. Look at Aaron Donald on this graph. TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY, but yet again he was robbed. Parsons already has 12, while playing a pivotal role in Dallas' defensive turnaround this season. The one stat that Donald lead in was assisted tackles where he had 46 and Watt had 16 assisted tackles. Aaron Donald has 312 solo tackles, 178 assists, 103.0 sacks and 7 fumble recoveries in 138 games in his career. Donald is a Defensive Tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. The Cowboys haven't had a player win the award since Harvey Martin in 1977. Both move around a good bit, but Aaron Donald is an interior defensive lineman the vast majority of plays, and T.J. Watt is an edge rusher. YEAR TEAM G Total Solo AST SCK SFTY PDEF INT TDS YDS AVG LNG; 2022: Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 Despite now being 30 years old, Donald remains a perennial favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. Problem is, the eye test makes Garrett, Donald and Parsons legitimate contenders for the award, too. T.J. Watt stepped up and produced when the Steelers were fighting to play one more game in 2019, in 2020 he didnt. The context of having someone take your best receiver (and best weapon) completely out of the game caused me to accept Gilmore's win over Watt but with Donald I can't accept it as they both attempt to do the exact same thing (stop the run and rush the passer). He also had a forced fumble in that game, giving . Those would be impressive stats for an edge rusher, let alone an interior defender. The last rookie to win defensive player of the year was Taylor of the New York Giants in 1981. The injuries to his groin, hip and knee have kept him out of multiple games. Taylor, unofficially -- sacks weren't an official statistic yet in 1981 -- finished with 9.5 sacks as a rookie. Watt answered his own question by tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 of them in 2021. Aaron Donald Vs T.j. Watt Stats | StatMuse That's what I look for on third and fourth down." No other defender recorded at least 10 sacks while also recording an interception or at least 5 passes defended. 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. Also, Garrett's case for the award could be damaged if the 7-6 Browns don't make the playoffs. Both players . Physically present in AZ/CO/CT/IL/IN/IA/KS/LA (select parishes)/MA/MD/MI/NH/NJ/NY/OH/OR/PA/TN/VA/WV/WY only. TJ Watt or Xavien Howard will be an interesting defensive player of the year race. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. Donald led defensive tackles in both double team rate, and pass rush win rate. Without Watt's 3.5 sacks of Lamar Jackson and pressure on the failed 2-point conversion attempt, the Steelers don't beat the Ravens 20-19 on Dec. 5, to keep Pittsburgh relevant in the AFC North. Therefore, he has more of an impact on the football game. Just 4 days short of three years with at least a sack in every game. Donald received 27 votes, edging out T . Aaron Donald was the right choice for Defensive Player of the Year, Draft Grades: Mel Kiper grades Steelers, and rest of the AFC North. J.J. Watt vs T.J. Watt Stats - Stats Pros Parsons also seems to make the big plays in big moments. Give every rusher, including Cameron Heyward, Stephon Tuitt and T.J. Watt 1v1 matchups2. But right after he won, J.J. Watt, also a three-time DPOY, and many others took to social media to . When the offense decides #3 is the right choice, the Steelers green dog blitzes keep the numbers even, again forcing 1v1 matchups or creating free runners at the quarterback. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. 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. #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. 2 min read. Aaron Donald was the right choice for Defensive Player of the Year Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Aaron Donald (#99) is the defensive tackle to the right side of the screen. Please logout and login again. You got an opportunity where they might hold the ball a little longer and you can get to that quarterback. And he accomplished that feat in 15 games. Donald has 10 sacks, which ranks 10th and is six behind Watt. Odds and lines subject to change. Fast forward a year and its Watt edging out Donald this time. He goes high and around the outside shoulder of the guard, and it works because the wide set of Donald and the edge force the guard to come to him, and Donald is too quick to be caught. Pass . And Donald's numbers, at least in the ever-so-visible sack column, are lagging. Three seconds after the ball is snapped Dak Prescott gets rid of the ball with Aaron Donald in his face, and after the throw the play ends up with Aaron Donald standing while all the guys who were in his way are on the grass. How long have you been in Journalism? He had the stats and ability to prove it, however, like most years the big names won the awards. T.J. Watt NFL Stats & News Matthew Judon of the New England Patriots has been the best free-agent signing and is filling up the stat sheet. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career . This is a repeat of last year except this time it's not justified. Donald would make history by winning the award -- which is voted on by a nationwide panel of the media -- a record fourth time. This is frustrating as health is not promised in the NFL. -- ESPN Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor, T.J. Watt has 16 sacks in his 10 games played this season. Its a good team award. Career Stats for OLB T.J. Watt. And it's not just that he dramatically affected the game, it's that he did it without a week of practice after testing positive for COVID-19 the day after losing to the Bengals. Watt also added 5 passes defended and an interception. -- Thiry. All stats that are higher than Aaron Donald. He had the stats and ability to prove it, however, like most years the big names won the awards. Stephon Tuitt does a good job of this for the Steelers, and it is a big reason he shows up significantly higher in double team rate than Cameron Heyward and why T.J. Watt shows up lower than Bud Dupree. This ultimately led to his interception and 7 defended passes, which was second among all linebackers, including purely coverage linebackers. Coach Mike Tomlin likes to say Watt does things other players simply can't do. T.J. Watt Was Robbed Of NFL DPOY Look at the edge rusher double team rates and the defensive tackle double team rates. TJ Watt Deserved to be the DPOY over Aaron Donald Quote: "Nothing matters if we don't make the playoffs. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and the race for The stat comparison between Watt and Donald is close. Thats ridiculous. Quote: "He is a game-changer and a game-wrecker. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career with 243 of those tackles being solo and 90 of them assisted. This season, Donald played 17 games compared to Watt's 15 games. 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. 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. Why Parsons might fall short: History tells you this is a long shot. Youll be just like your brother: Disappear in big games, hurt a lot and a stat padder. TJ will be collecting a ring in the near future. T.J. Watt had another great season, but he wasnt the best player in 2020. The farther the player is to the right side of the graph the more often they were listed as being double teamed. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald won his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award this season. Highest pass rush win rate (26.9%) among edge defenders this season (ESPN metric using NFL Next Gen Stats), Second in NFL with 15 sacks, third in pressures with 46, Eleven games with at least 0.5 sacks this season, tied for most in NFL (Cincinnati Bengals Trey Hendrickson), Why Garrett is a strong candidate to win the award: The Browns pass-rusher has been arguably the most dominant defensive player in the league this season. As far as pass rushers go, these two are leading the pack with Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa being the only other formidable competitors. He also hit the quarterback 39 times, making a total of 64 tackles the second-most in his career. SACKS Ram's Aaron Donald opens up about TJ Watt after 2021 NFL Honors 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. Tracking fifth-year options for 2020 first-rounders: Which were picked up, and which were declined? Leonard Williams finally lived up to the hype.Stats; @pfref #NFL pic.twitter.com/Y5ro45XW1l. Aaron Donald Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN Keep extra players in to block. Donald only bested Watt in one basic stat, forced fumbles. Bei der Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps verwenden wir, unsere Websites und Apps fr Sie bereitzustellen, Nutzer zu authentifizieren, Sicherheitsmanahmen anzuwenden und Spam und Missbrauch zu verhindern, und, Ihre Nutzung unserer Websites und Apps zu messen, personalisierte Werbung und Inhalte auf der Grundlage von Interessenprofilen anzuzeigen, die Effektivitt von personalisierten Anzeigen und Inhalten zu messen, sowie, unsere Produkte und Dienstleistungen zu entwickeln und zu verbessern. I love it. This time around, Garrett is playing the best football of his career. https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2022/02/10/rams-steelers-tj-watt-aaron-donald-defensive-player-year/. Quote: "Anything different than just being Superman out there? Predicting the Steelers jersey numbers for the 2023 NFL Draft class. But there's a convincing argument to be made that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was deserved DPOY for the just-concluded NFL season. Donald didnt put up astronomical numbers this season, but he still had 12.5 sacks, 25 QB hits and 19 tackles for a loss as a defensive tackle. An illustration of the Defensive Player of the Year trophy. This is a frequent blocking strategy against Aaron Donald, a slightly delayed double team. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league. Register now! T.J. Watt Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN He ranks second with 47 first pressures. The story of the Cowboys scout and prospect son Dallas just drafted, Legacy pick: Cardinals take great-great-nephew of team's first-ever draft pick, Cowboys' Micah Parsons could match one of Hall of Famer Lawrence Taylor's most amazing feats, NFL Week 15 buzz: Predicting Aaron Rodgers' 2022 team, DPOY, upset picks and more, Myles Garrett sets Browns record with sack, forces fumble and scores vs. Ravens. This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. That point is valid but it's completely out of each player's control. NFL 2021 awards: TJ Watt, snubbed, Defensive Player of the Year, Aaron 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. TJ Watt plays linebacker. Here the Giants have the guard and tackle on Donald, and the running back looking to help if he goes inside. By accepting all cookies, you agree to our use of cookies to deliver and maintain our services and site, improve the quality of Reddit, personalize Reddit content and advertising, and measure the effectiveness of advertising. To learn more or opt-out, read our Cookie Policy. And he's forced four fumbles and had two recoveries, more than both Garrett and Parsons. Privacy Policy. Parsons, meanwhile, is making a run at becoming the second rookie to be selected for the award. I love stats, I especially love advanced stats and analytical metrics, but stats can tell us results, they dont tell you how a player got there. Watt is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. 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. TJ Watt vs Aaron Donald - Cardinal Chronicle Gambling Problem? Levis opens up about draft day Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt Outshines Garrett, Donald in DPOY Race To get DPOY award means you were the dominant defensive player in the league. He has 115 sacks of the quarterback and has gotten 2 picks throughout his career. After spending most of the 2020 season saying T.J. Watt didnt have a real shot to win the DPOY award, in week 13 I said he had a real shot. Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN He has 10 tackles for loss and 31 quarterback pressures, according to the Cowboys' coaches' count. Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. T.J. Watt led Aaron Donald in the majority of defensive stats, with the only argument going Donald's way is how the Rams are more reliant on Donald's excellent play than the Steelers are on the younger Watt brother's excellent play. Season highlight: As memorable as Sunday's scoop-and-score against the Ravens was, nothing tops Garrett's 4.5-sack performance against the Chicago Bears in Week 3. Yes, Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in the NFL. He had four tackles for loss vs. Minnesota. I've been a part of [teams with] guys like that -- Troy Polamalu -- who can change a football game, and it doesn't happen on defense that often. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. 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. T.J. Watt wins 2021 Defensive Player of the Year over Aaron Donald But in those 15 games Watt accumulated 22.5 sacks and Donald got 13 sacks. However, in every other arena, Watt not only dominated, but he did so in fewer games. Please also read our Privacy Notice and Terms of Use, which became effective December 20, 2019. Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more . If he wins the award, he and J.J. would make history as the first siblings to win DPOY. The Rams Aaron Donald has just won his third DPOY award, however, he did not deserve it. 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 played that way in 2020. However, that does not make him the best defensive player. Hes grabbed 6 interceptions and has 23 fumbles forced for his career. Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day. Donald has also won it three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2020. No, he just did it again. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league . Caesars Sportsbook odds on winning: +300 (co-favorite with Garrett), Leads NFL with 16 sacks despite missing two games, NFL-high five games with two sacks this season, Could become first player since Donald in 2018 with 20 sacks in a season, Why Watt is a strong candidate to win the award: Despite missing two entire games and sustaining injuries that knocked him out early in two others, Watt leads the league in sacks with 16 through Week 14. While all of the narrative surrounds Donald being the unquestionable best defensive player, TJ Watt's statistical contributions should not go unseen. So yes, T.J. Watts stats are better across the board than Aaron Donalds were, but as Steeler fans who remember how good Aaron Smith was, and how good Casey Hampton was, It shouldnt be hard to understand how playing on the interior line causes less impressive stats no matter how good the player is. No, they dont. Rams news: Aaron Donald stats show teaming up with J.J. Watt is unfair His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. His tally for tackles sits at 449 of the solo variety and 137 assisted for a grand total of 586. frequently with multiple players looking to help. 1, Panthers' Bryce Young is all 'business now', Top picks Christian Gonzalez, Keion White reflect Patriots' ideal identity, Big takeaways from the NFL draft: A historic QB class, the rebuilt AFC South and new GMs thriving, NFL Nation sizes up all 259 draft selections, XFL semifinals: Defenders roll Sea Dragons, set up title showdown with Renegades. For his career, J.J. Watt has accumulated 27 forced fumbles and has gotten 195 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. He said after winning the 2021 award that it was never anything personal against Donald. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. He also had a forced fumble in that game, giving him four on the season. 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. I thought he was more than deserving, Watt said, via Ray Fittipaldo of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. For the third time in his career, Donald won the Defensive Player of the Year Award this year. 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. Congrats! Not a one trick pony or a flash in the pan Aaron Donald deserves his Defensive Player of the Year Award SINCE HE ENTERED THE LEAGUE IN 2019 TJ WATT LEADS IN: This years defensive player of the year awards finalists are TJ Watt and Aaron Donald. You can see [his] energy throughout the defense." 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. Donald, Taylor and Watt's older brother, J.J., are the only players to earn the distinction three times. Learn how your comment data is processed. This season, the Rams have allowed 22.5 points per game, which ranks 17th, while their efficiency ranks eighth. TACKLES FOR LOSS FILM ROOM: Joey Porter Jr. is exactly what the Steelers needed at CB. It was a special year for the Steeler outside linebacker, leading the NFL in all three of the most relevant stats for players who primarily rush, while also showing the ability to make plays in coverage. He beat guard Brandon Scherff to sack Taylor Heinicke, forcing a fumble that Dorance Armstrong returned for a touchdown, and on the next series he sacked Heinicke when Washington tried to have a running back block him.