In my opinion, I think that Watt deserves Defensive Player of the Year Award. Stock Report: Whose stock is rising, and falling, after Rounds 2-7. Why Parsons might fall short: History tells you this is a long shot. This season, Donald played 17 games compared to Watt's 15 games. Watt also has seasons with 65 59 and 57 tackles. Quote: "He is a game-changer and a game-wrecker. Aaron Donald Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN Aaron Donald has 312 solo tackles, 178 assists, 103.0 sacks and 7 fumble recoveries in 138 games in his career. THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE! Taylor, unofficially -- sacks weren't an official statistic yet in 1981 -- finished with 9.5 sacks as a rookie. The Cowboys haven't had a player win the award since Harvey Martin in 1977. 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. 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 leads Donald in a majority of stats and he has less defensive weapons on his team. Both players were deserving after putting together great 2020 seasons, but Donald was simply the more impactful player. Donald received 27 votes, edging out T . But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. 2 min read. 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. As the new face of the Steelers defense, Watt needed this to cement his status as the next in a long line of Steelers Hall of Fame linebackers, but it seems that honor will have to wait another year. Then last November, he got COVID-19 and was slowed the rest of the season. Aaron Donald is the consensus favorite to win another DPOY after having another quality season with 12.5 sacks. But some people make the argument that Donald faces more double teams or that they play different positions. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. The one stat that Donald lead in was assisted tackles where he had 46 and Watt had 16 assisted tackles. The award was won by the ever dominant Aaron Donald. 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. Biggest post-draft questions Full Name: Brandon Unger T.J. Watt had another great season, but he wasnt the best player in 2020. Parsons also seems to make the big plays in big moments. -- Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. Aaron Donald Career Stats | NFL.com For his career, Aaron Donald has collected 24 forced fumbles and has gotten 160 tackles in the backfield. It's not Watt's fault the Steelers assembled a terrific pass rush unit, while it's also not Donald's fault that the Rams are unable to do the same. The 27-year-old totaled 64 tackles (48 solo) while tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 sacks. They still have about a 40% chance to get there, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. 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. Cookie Notice I always thought to myself why cant I do that?. 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. Hes grabbed 6 interceptions and has 23 fumbles forced for his career. Thats ridiculous. 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. Taylor had 9.5 sacks as a rookie. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald could conceivably win it every year given his dominance and the way he elevates players around him. 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. TJ Watt is statistically outperforming Aaron Donald, and no one is talking about it. T.J. Watt is great, and Ive highlighted multiple times plays he makes to set up team mates. Obviously for him just to consistently do what he's been doing, it's great to see. 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. Those would be impressive stats for an edge rusher, let alone an interior defender. YEAR TEAM G Total Solo AST SCK SFTY PDEF INT TDS YDS AVG LNG; 2022: Pittsburgh Steelers: 10 Donald is a Defensive Tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. The Nittany Lions star has the capacity to dominate for the black and gold, just as his dad did. The farther to the top a player is, the more often they were credited with a pass-rush win. Irrelevant' pick on Toledo's Johnson. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. 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. The one stat that Donald lead in was . J.J. Watt vs. Aaron Donald Stats | FantasyPros He was phenomenal from start to finish, first play to last play, just as always." Levis opens up about draft day However, in every other arena, Watt not only dominated, but he did so in fewer games. Despite now being 30 years old, Donald remains a perennial favorite for Defensive Player of the Year. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? Sign up for the Rams Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. First look at the X-Axis, bottom of the graph. He ranks second with 47 first pressures. Register now! Career Stats for OLB T.J. Watt. NFL: Steelers, J.J. Watt blast Aaron Donald's DPOY win over T.J. Watt Parsons plays for America's Team. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career with 243 of those tackles being solo and 90 of them assisted. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). But . To the commenter saying TJ is a stat padder, always injured and overrated.do you even watch football? Its a good team award. _______________________________________________ Watt, meanwhile, is one of the few constants for a Steelers defense that has struggled. T.J. Watts stats dropped off, especially QB hits, and none of them went up. This play Donald got a stat for. And he accomplished that feat in 15 games. 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. I understand you are free to say what you want to a certain degree, but that comment is just silly. Donald has also won it three times, in 2017, 2018, and 2020. The Rams' Aaron Donald has just won his third DPOY award, however, he did not deserve it. Watt is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. I mean, [defensive player of the year] is nice, but I want to be remembered for bringing some Super Bowls here. Aaron Donald vs T.J. Watt Stats SUBSCRIBE! Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Hes made 103 sacks of the quarterback and has tallied no interceptions throughout his career. pic.twitter.com/Eh61Wx4dI1, Why Donald might fall short: Donald stars on a defense that has not been nearly as dominant as it was a season ago, when it was the top-ranked unit in efficiency and points allowed per game (18.5). After that happened, Watt tweeted out the Michael Jordan , "And . Both players were deserving after putting together great 2020 seasons, but Donald was . -- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, on if he saw anything different from Donald on film that enabled him to dominate the Cardinals. Watt led the NFL with 22.5 sacks (tied the single-season record) and 21 tackles for a loss, earning an All-Pro and Pro Bowl selection. frequently with multiple players looking to help. It makes absolutely no sense! Watt also had 7 pass deflections and Donald had 4. 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. 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 Leonard Williams finally lived up to the hype.Stats; @pfref #NFL pic.twitter.com/Y5ro45XW1l. Last season (2020), T.J. Watt lost to Stephon Gilmore who erased receivers off the field for the Patriots. Aaron Donald, Myles Garrett, Micah Parsons, T.J. Watt and the race for Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. At the end of the season, when the Steelers were playing to make the playoffs even as the offense fell entirely apart Watt had 2 sacks, 2 TFL, 7 QB hits, 3 forced fumbles, a recovered fumble and 2 passes defended in the final 3 games, when the Steelers scored 10 points in each game and lost all three. Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league . This time around, Garrett is playing the best football of his career. As far as pass rushers go, these two are leading the pack with Myles Garrett and Joey Bosa being the only other formidable competitors. In a vacuum, Watt is having one of the best seasons -- if not the best -- of his career. The easy answer is numbers dont tell the full story, there is so much more to football than what statisticians record, and Im going to try and cover that here. Yes, Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in the NFL. Keep extra players in to block. 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. Will Levis opens up about emotional draft day. Got his individual hardware. Elevate his game and get recognized nationally as not just one half of a great duo, but a truly elite player. He also hit the quarterback 39 times, making a total of 64 tackles the second-most in his career. Donald makes heavy contact with three Cowboys blockers on this play, and it buys Prescott enough time to get the ball out. Parsons has surpassed that. In 2020, over 10 percent of his snaps were in coverage against wide receivers and tight ends. This year TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY. Aaron Donald deserves his Defensive Player of the Year Award Here the Giants have the guard and tackle on Donald, and the running back looking to help if he goes inside. "I think those are the money downs. FORCED FUMBLES. Klicken Sie auf Alle ablehnen, wenn Sie nicht mchten, dass wir und unsere Partner Cookies und personenbezogene Daten fr diese zustzlichen Zwecke verwenden. 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. The running back does his play action fake and is immediately met by Aaron Donald. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. He did all that while missing two games, too. 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. 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. But there's a convincing argument to be made that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was deserved DPOY for the just-concluded NFL season. His tally for tackles sits at 449 of the solo variety and 137 assisted for a grand total of 586. T.J. Watt Was Robbed Of NFL DPOY He is effectively playing three different positions and is still one of the best in the league at all three. It took a truly great season by Watt to beat out Donald for the award, which only one player had done in the last four years. Aaron Donald Calls T.J. Watt NFL MVP 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. No, he just did it again. -- ESPN Steelers reporter Brooke Pryor, T.J. Watt has 16 sacks in his 10 games played this season. Look at Aaron Donald on this graph. Both of these players are finalists for the Defensive Player of the Year race. 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. If the Steelers send 5, the offense has three options: 1. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. While not to criticize a player who commands doubles and triple teams every snap, it is clear that T.J. Watt was the superior defensive lineman this year. View a side-by-side comparison of J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald. To be able to be recognized as the best defensive player of the year is definitely something I strive for, Watt said. 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. 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. 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. Yet he still does. The individual glory will come and go, but the city will remember a Super Bowl." Keep your eyes on Donald, dont watch the ball. 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. This year TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY. Aaron Donald is the consensus favorite to win another DPOY after having another quality season with 12.5 sacks. Now look at that same information for defensive tackles. Watt also had 7 pass deflections and Donald had 4. Levis has inside track to be future of Titans, Eagles add three Georgia studs to elite roster, Belichick keeping Jones, Zappe on edge after draft, Simms: Hooker has more talent than Goff, NFL draft takeaways: QBs selected on Day 3, T.J. Watt: Im not huge on individual goals, but I was striving for DPOY, In the end, the Packers fleeced the Jets for Aaron Rodgers, Aaron Rodgers blamed cell service at his house for not returning Brian Gutekunsts calls, Trade charts show Jets sending Packers equivalent of a high second-round pick in 2023, Odds greatly improve for Will Levis to be the first overall pick, Deion Sanders is ashamed of 31 NFL teams for not drafting any HBCU players, Brian Gutekunst: It would have been nice to have had those conversations with Aaron Rodgers, Jim Irsay asks fans whether Colts should pair Will Levis with Anthony Richardson. Donald had 12.5 sacks, 19 . All stats that are higher than Aaron Donald. #Browns @Flash_Garrett: #BALvsCLE on CBS: NFL app pic.twitter.com/yR3s2NLwqu, Why Garrett might fall short: To begin with, the Browns are facing unprecedented adversity within the league amid a COVID-19 outbreak. He said after winning the 2021 award that it was never anything personal against Donald. T.J. Watt leads the NFL with 16 sacks and Garrett is second with 15, but neither player is guaranteed of helping his team to the playoffs. Take these two graphs that have been popping up a lot of places. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. This years defensive player of the year awards finalists are TJ Watt and Aaron Donald. Steelers edge rusher T.J. Watt was named the AP defensive player of the year during NFL Honors on Thursday night, receiving 42 of a possible 50 votes. But in those 15 games Watt accumulated 22.5 sacks and Donald got 13 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. 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. Unfortunately, like most years, there is controversy. He hasn't done it on his own, but he is the engine of the defense. 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. YEAR TEAM G Total Solo AST SCK SFTY PDEF INT TDS YDS AVG LNG; 2022: Los Angeles Rams: 11: 41 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. By choosing I Accept, you consent to our use of cookies and other tracking technologies. Quote: "Anything different than just being Superman out there? TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY, but yet again he was robbed. Journalism Position:Staffer -- Trotter, Myles Garrett strips, scoops and scores! Season highlight: It's difficult to pick just one. ==================================. Not a one trick pony or a flash in the pan 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. Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt Outshines Garrett, Donald in DPOY Race Its also one of the reasons the Steelers use Green Dog blitzes. Watt has 48 tackles on the season compared to Aarons 38. T.J. Watt: Steelers 'weren't happy' with defense on 1st drive. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. To be a literal game-changer on defense is something completely special, and he should be recognized. Garrett is attempting to become the first Cleveland player ever to win the award. All four are having standout seasons, and Parsons has the benefit of playing on one of the best defensive units this season. Khan's first Steelers draft 'aggressive' 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. Parsons, meanwhile, is making a run at becoming the second rookie to be selected for the award. DeMarcus Ware had 20 sacks in 2008, and he finished second to the Steelers' Harrison in the voting. Look at the edge rusher double team rates and the defensive tackle double team rates. Aaron Donald was the right choice for Defensive Player of the Year Archived post. That stat does not even include when he does not rush, but merely sets the edge against teams with mobile QBs and strong rushing attacks. Watt answered his own question by tying the single-season sack record with 22.5 of them in 2021. Rams news: Aaron Donald stats show teaming up with J.J. Watt is unfair View a side-by-side comparison of Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt. You got an opportunity where they might hold the ball a little longer and you can get to that quarterback. T.J. Watts film is good, and often great, but is pales in comparison to what Donald does. Full list of Mr. Irrelevants in NFL draft history: Is Brock Purdy already the best final pick? He can play inside linebacker, strong-side linebacker and defensive end. That is crazy. TJ will be collecting a ring in the near future. Your login session has expired. FILM ROOM: Joey Porter Jr. is exactly what the Steelers needed at CB. TJ Watt finished the 2020 season with 53 tackles, 41 QB hits, 15 sacks, and 23 tackles. 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. Please logout and login again. He also had a forced fumble in that game, giving him four on the season. Aaron Donald is pushing to win the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award for the fourth time in five seasons. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. 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. T.j. Watt Stats Vs Aaron Donald Stats 2020 | StatMuse On film, T.J. Watt and Aaron Donald are not close, T.J. Watt is a generational talent, Aaron Donald plays like he belongs in the Reggie White, Mean Joe Green category of all-time greats. -- Trotter. T.J. Watt has a total of 333 tackles in his career . Its because of Keith Butler. The Rams did this a lot, one rusher would just plow right into the bodies blocking Donald, and often that worked out well for the Rams. The quarterback takes a three step drop and its already over. But right after he won, J.J. Watt, also a three-time DPOY, and many others took to social media to . If you want to say T.J. Watt should have won defensive player of the year and have me agree, just add in 2019 to the end and Im with you 100%. No other defender recorded at least 10 sacks while also recording an interception or at least 5 passes defended. TJ Watt is setting the edge, rushing the QB, and at times covering WR1s, and still winning. 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. Heres your Defensive Player of the Year @AaronDonald97 pic.twitter.com/2dsnuNgsFA. For his career, J.J. Watt has accumulated 27 forced fumbles and has gotten 195 tackles behind the line of scrimmage. His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. You must be logged in to leave a comment. 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. 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. And then Aaron Donald blows the grading curve out of the water. You can go all out on 3rd and long, and then take a breather on all the other downs if you want sack stats. Sure, in 2020 Watt had 0.5 more sacks, 5 more . The teams pass rush dropped off as well, to under 3 sacks a game. With the Steelers. If he wins the award, he and J.J. would make history as the first siblings to win DPOY. 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. Last year, Aaron Donald left Steelers fans outraged after he won Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt. TJ Watt vs Aaron Donald - Cardinal Chronicle Aaron Donald is an absolutely incredible player. Not a member? At their respective peaks, who is/was better, Aaron Donald or JJ Watt Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald won his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award this season. Parsons already has 12, while playing a pivotal role in Dallas' defensive turnaround this season. 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.