By the end of the regular season, the impact of the NFL Defensive Player of the Year on their team may surpass that of the Most Valuable Player of the Year.
If that defies logic consider the leading candidates for DPOY, understanding their teams have no shot at reaching the postseason if they don’t consistently perform at the highest level.
“That comes with the job description of being an elite player in the NFL,” Brown defensive coordinator Jim Schwartz said during his weekly press conference. “When it’s a big game, your big players need to play well.”
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Schwartz was talking specifically about his defensive star, Myles Garrett. But it applies to all the top defensive players in the league. With half the season complete for every team, November and December football decides not only which teams make the playoffs, but which players will win the league’s top awards.
Here are our top five picks for Defensive Player of the Year in descending order:
5. Danielle Hunter, Minnesota Vikings
The Minnesota Viking’s defensive end/outside linebacker is having a career season. After 10 games, Hunter is the NFL’s co-leader with 11 sacks. He also has 48 total sacks and 3 forced fumbles. His sacks account for the most sack yards in the league with 79. Hunter has benefitted from the Vikings’ aggressive approach that sees Minnesota blitz a league-leading 49% of the time. But it’s hard to win any POY honor if you’re team isn’t in contention and the Vikings (6-4) have lost start starting quarterback Kirk Cousins for the year and may struggle to keep pace with the other NFC contenders.
4. Maxx Crosby, Las Vegas Raiders
The Raiders defensive end has been the heart and soul of the team during a difficult first half of the season that included the firing of head coach Josh McDaniels. Crosby is fourth in the NFL with 9.5 sacks, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 1 pass defended. He also leads the NFL with 59 tackles. “Max has worked his tail off,” Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce said on the Raiders website. “Max needs to be talked about as Defensive Player of the Year. We need to get into that conversation. If nobody’s going to say it, I’m going to say it. He needs to be in that conversation.” The Raiders, at 5-5, are in the playoff hunt but will need a strong second half to get there, starting with a game at Miami Sunday and two future games against the Chiefs. The defense has carried the Raiders this far. Crosby will need to carry them the rest of the way.
3. T.J. Watt, Pittsburgh Steelers
The Steelers linebacker has been a force this year with 10.5 sacks after nine games. He also has one interception, 2 forced fumbles, 3 fumble recoveries, and 1 pass defended. He also has 30 tackles. At 6-3, the Steelers are in the thick of playoff contention, understanding they are in the most competitive division. There is plenty of football play and Watt will need to be at the heart of it for the Steelers to qualify.
2. Micah Parsons, Dallas Cowboys
The Cowboys’ electric linebacker has just 7.5 sacks, including four in the last three games. He also has 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, and 2 passes defensed. Opposing offenses are doing all they can to contain Parsons who has totaled at least 13 sacks in his previous two years. If the Cowboys are to earn home-field in the playoffs, Parsons will need the kind of big finish that could earn him DPOY. ”I just think we’re doing a phenomenal job,” Parsons said in Dallas. “(Dan Quinn) is finding way to get 1-on-1 and things like that.”
1. Myles Garrett, Cleveland Browns
The Browns’ defensive end wrecks games. Heading into Sunday night’s game against Pittsburgh, he shares the league lead in sacks with 11. His dominance includes four forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, two passes defensed, and 28 tackles. The Browns (6-3) lost their starting quarterback this week, which means Garrett and the defense will be counted on even more heavily in the second half of the season. Schwartz said he expects Garrett to play his best when the stakes are the highest. “He understands that. He knows that,” Schwartz said. “Great players have a tenacity to show up in a big game.”
George Willis writes columns for Sportsnaut. Follow him on Twitter.