T.J. Watt’s chances of winning the Defensive Player of the Year award do not look great. Many publications have released their award winners, and Watt has not been among them. He also wasn’t named a first-team All-Pro, which really doesn’t bode well for his chances. Still, it’s not like any of the nominees had a truly dominant season. Watt could bring the award home. Analyst Dave Helman made the case for several of the candidates, and that includes Watt.
All winners will be announced next Thursday during the NFL Honors ceremony.
“You don’t have that statistical undeniability that you would expect from a T.J. Watt, but you do have the flash plays,” Helman said recently on NFL on FOX’s YouTube channel. “That’s where the six forced fumbles come into play.
“You go back and watch the season opener against Atlanta, the win against the New York Giants, the win against Cincinnati, you can count on T.J. Watt getting pressures, sacks, forced fumbles, fumble recoveries in those games that helped turn into Steeler wins. If you’re voting for T.J. Watt, I think that’s what it is.”
Helman’s analysis is right on the money. Watt only had 11.5 sacks this year, his lowest total in a healthy season since he was a rookie. He was also less impactful down the stretch, having an underwhelming end to the season. While Watt led the DPOY race for most of the year, his case got weaker as the year went on.
However, he did lead the league with six forced fumbles, which helps improve the argument in favor of him. Oftentimes, when the Steelers needed a big play, Watt would produce. When they were one of the best teams in the NFL, Watt was a big reason why.
Still, that might not be enough for Watt to win his second DPOY award. Not being named a first-team All-Pro really hurts his chances, making it seem virtually impossible for him to actually capture the award. At this point, it seems much more plausible that Denver Broncos corner Patrick Surtain II will be the winner.
You could say Watt has been robbed of the award before, but that might not be the case this year. Helman is correct that you could argue for Watt, but other candidates have stronger cases. It’s unfortunate, but perhaps it will leave Watt more motivated than ever.
After the season, Watt made it clear he does not want to be schemed out of games as much as he was this year. It sounds like he’s going to attack this offseason with everything he has, planning to leave no room for doubt that he’s the best defender in the league next year. Losing the DPOY award this year could be the best thing for him.
