For more information, please see our 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. Last season (2020), T.J. Watt lost to Stephon Gilmore who erased receivers off the field for the Patriots. Void in ONT. TJ will be collecting a ring in the near future. With the Steelers. CHECK OUT OUR SHOP!DONATE ON PATREON! NAME SEASON TM GP TKL AST COMB SCK SCKY INT INT YDS INT TD FF FR FR TD . Watt, meanwhile, is one of the few constants for a Steelers defense that has struggled. ESPN Enterprises, Inc. All rights reserved. Aaron Donald vs T.J. Watt Stats Donald gets doubled teamed because he is a defensive tackle. T.J. Watt wins 2021 Defensive Player of the Year over Aaron Donald He can affect the pass game and the run game because of his versatility. 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%. 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. Donald has 10 sacks, which ranks 10th and is six behind Watt. Aaron Donald is an absolutely incredible player. Career Stats for OLB T.J. Watt. The NFL awards came and went Saturday night, and the most . Latest on Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN This award is different. Thats ridiculous. Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald won his third NFL Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) Award this season. 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. Privacy Policy. 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. 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. Levis opens up about draft day 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. Key defensive end Takk McKinley tested positive for COVID-19, as well. Hes made 103 sacks of the quarterback and has tallied no interceptions throughout his career. Los Angeles Rams DT Aaron Donald won the 2020-21 NFL Defensive Player of the Year award, making it his third DPOY victory. 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. In the same way that Ben Roethlisberger doesnt have awards because he spent the vast majority of his career in the AFC with Tom Brady and Peyton Manning taking home every award in the books, T.J. Watt is going to struggle to get a DPOY award with Aaron Donald showing hes in a league of his own. He can play inside linebacker, strong-side linebacker and defensive end. Learn how your comment data is processed. The farther to the top a player is, the more often they were credited with a pass-rush win. 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. He hasn't done it on his own, but he is the engine of the defense. T.J. Watts film is good, and often great, but is pales in comparison to what Donald does. 21+ (18+ NH/WY). This years defensive player of the year awards finalists are TJ Watt and Aaron Donald. For the third time in his career, Donald won the Defensive Player of the Year Award this year. The Rams know offenses do this so they dont even send someone outside on Donalds side, so the tackle is left looking to see if Donald is going to come back outside. 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. He's made 103 sacks of the quarterback and has tallied no interceptions throughout his career. Wenn Sie Ihre Auswahl anpassen mchten, klicken Sie auf Datenschutzeinstellungen verwalten. 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. Thats not how you win the defensive version of the MVP award. 32 lingering post-draft questions: Will Lions have regrets? After that happened, Watt tweeted out the Michael Jordan, And I took that personally meme. While all of the narrative surrounds Donald being the unquestionable best defensive player, TJ Watt's statistical contributions should not go unseen. Weitere Informationen ber die Verwendung Ihrer personenbezogenen Daten finden Sie in unserer Datenschutzerklrung und unserer Cookie-Richtlinie. Sorry, Aaron Donald was unable to attend the ceremony because he was GETTING READY FOR THE SUPER BOWL. The Cowboys haven't had a player win the award since Harvey Martin in 1977. The greats among the greats. T.J. Watt NFL Stats & News Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league. The official Pittsburgh Steelers 2023 NFL Draft class. This season, Donald played 17 games compared to Watts 15 games. Problem is, the eye test makes Garrett, Donald and Parsons legitimate contenders for the award, too. 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. 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. 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. Aaron Donald deserves his Defensive Player of the Year Award He seriously just crasher into the pile of people trying to block Donald. T.J. Watts stats dropped off, especially QB hits, and none of them went up. 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. That point is valid but it's completely out of each player's control. Double a rusher and let someone run free at your quarterback (Vince Williams anyone?)3. This year TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY. 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. -- 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. 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. Therefore, he has more of an impact on the football game. Fields also had one net yard passing with Garrett repeatedly swarming him in the backfield. 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. Quote: "Anything different than just being Superman out there? 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. Aaron Donald was the right choice for Defensive Player of the Year, Draft Grades: Mel Kiper grades Steelers, and rest of the AFC North. Biggest post-draft questions Call (800) 327-5050 or visit gamblinghelpline.ma.org (MA), Call 877-8-HOPENY/text HOPENY (467369) (NY). 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. They still have about a 40% chance to get there, according to ESPN's Football Power Index. Please logout and login again. 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. Now look at that same information for defensive tackles. He ranks second with 47 first pressures. He is effectively playing three different positions and is still one of the best in the league at all three. 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. 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. Full list of Mr. Irrelevants in NFL draft history: Is Brock Purdy already the best final pick? T.J. Watt came in second in Defensive Player of the Year award voting for the 2021 season, and predictably, theres a lot of upset people. 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. But the sequence in Week 14 against the Washington Football Team was probably the best. Yes, Aaron Donald is the best pass rusher in the NFL. Garrett had a strip sack of his own, and he finished the job by returning it for a 15-yard touchdown against the Ravens. Watt also had 7 pass deflections and Donald had 4. TJ Watt or Xavien Howard will be an interesting defensive player of the year race. As an outside linebacker on the best defence in the NFL, Watt played 15 games with 53 tackles, 23 tackles-for-loss (league-high), 15 sacks (league-high), 41 QB hits, two forced fumbles, eight pass . 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. 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. The one stat that Donald lead in was assisted tackles where he had 46 and Watt had 16 assisted tackles. Betting markets have as a pretty strong favorite around 2:1 odds . Quickly compare stats, fantasy rankings and points to find out which player is a better option in your fantasy football league . 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 . Not a member? T.J. Watt is an edge rusher and a linebacker, Aaron Donald is a defensive lineman. So why does the title of this article say Aaron Donald was the right choice? Donald is a Defensive Tackle for the Los Angeles Rams. He's a dog out there. -- Thiry Season highlight : Donald dominated in a 30-23 win over the division-leading Arizona Cardinals on Monday Night Football. What is hard to understand, however, is how Donald only received three votes. Predicting the Steelers jersey numbers for the 2023 NFL Draft class.
Sign up for the Rams Wire newsletter to get our top stories in your inbox every morning. I don't know who else is the defensive player of the year other than that guy. In totality, it was just an unnecessary snub for a lineman who has waited his turn and put up a tremendous level of play on the field. You can see [his] energy throughout the defense." 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.
I love watching him play & hes headed to the Hall of Fame without question. 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. Watt Heyward and Minkah wont be in their primes forever. 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). Behind Garrett's dominating effort, the Browns took down Chicago quarterback Justin Fields nine times en route to a commanding 26-6 victory. His tally for tackles sits at 449 of the solo variety and 137 assisted for a grand total of 586. But Donald isn't the only one trying to make history. Coach Mike Tomlin likes to say Watt does things other players simply can't do. Latest on Los Angeles Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald including complete game-by-game stats on ESPN T.J. Watt Career Stats | NFL.com His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. He leads Donald in a majority of stats and he has less defensive weapons on his team. You can go all out on 3rd and long, and then take a breather on all the other downs if you want sack stats. 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. Learn more about troubleshooting WordPress. 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. This season, the Rams have allowed 22.5 points per game, which ranks 17th, while their efficiency ranks eighth. -- Trotter. 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. - But there's a convincing argument to be made that Steelers linebacker T.J. Watt was deserved DPOY for the just-concluded NFL season. Taylor, unofficially -- sacks weren't an official statistic yet in 1981 -- finished with 9.5 sacks as a rookie. I understand you are free to say what you want to a certain degree, but that comment is just silly. 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. Donald, Taylor and Watt's older brother, J.J., are the only players to earn the distinction three times. 2023 NFL Draft Grades: AFC West Were rounding out the AFC draft grades here with, On todays episode of the Vendetta Sports Media Daily Show, James Herrick and Jiarmani DePena, 2023 NFL Draft Grade: AFC South The AFC South feels like the most wide open, 2023 NFL Draft Grades: AFC North After hitting the AFC East, we now transition to, CONTENT 2018 2022 VENDETTA SPORTS MEDIA ALL RIGHTS RESERVED | Privacy Policy | Terms and Conditions, Former Pittsburgh Steeler Urges Ben Roethlisberger to Retire. He also had a forced fumble in that game, giving . The teams pass rush dropped off as well, to under 3 sacks a game. Their entire defense is built around countering the incredible steps teams have to take to slow down Aaron Donald. PFT's 2021 defensive player of the year: T.J. Watt This play Donald got a stat for. Youll be just like your brother: Disappear in big games, hurt a lot and a stat padder. Leonard Williams finally lived up to the hype.Stats; @pfref #NFL pic.twitter.com/Y5ro45XW1l. He rushes on 99 percent of his snaps. 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. Keep extra players in to block. Aaron Donald's one extremely great season can't even compete with Watt's top season of 2012, let alone the fact Watt had similar seasons in 2012, 2014, 2015, and 2018. Look at Aaron Donald on this graph. Aaron Donald is the defensive end to the right side of the screen, lined up across from #75 of the Giants. T.J. Watt Game by Game Stats and Performance | ESPN -- 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. 'That's my best friend': Steelers unite another set of brothers after draft, The NFL's highest-paid players at every position: Here's who makes the most money, from QB to punter, Steelers, down Fitzpatrick, boosted by Watt return, Steelers declare Fitzpatrick out, activate Watt, Steelers star LB Watt expects to return vs. Saints, T.J. Watt 'optimistic' about Sunday return for needy Steelers defense, Steelers opt not to activate Watt vs. Eagles, Steelers open 21-day practice window on Watt, Sources: Watt's Steelers return delayed by knee, Steelers won't scrap plan on D with Watt on IR, Supplemental Privacy Policy for Singapore. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. 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. T.J. Watt is great, and Ive highlighted multiple times plays he makes to set up team mates. Parsons plays for America's Team. Aaron Donald is the consensus favorite to win another DPOY after having another quality season with 12.5 sacks. FILM ROOM: Joey Porter Jr. is exactly what the Steelers needed at CB. Aaron Donald has 312 solo tackles, 178 assists, 103.0 sacks and 7 fumble recoveries in 138 games in his career. I mean, [defensive player of the year] is nice, but I want to be remembered for bringing some Super Bowls here. 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. There has been a critical error on this website. TJ Watt plays linebacker. -- Garrett, Caesars Sportsbook odds on winning: +300 (co-favorite with Parsons), Only player in NFL this season with 200 snaps in coverage and 200 snaps in the pass rush, 12 sacks and 70 tackles this season; could become first player since James Harrison in 2010 to have 10-plus sacks and 100-plus tackles in a season, Six straight games with one sack, tied for second longest by a rookie since sacks became official in 1982, Why Parsons is a strong candidate to win the award: Just look at how he plays and has helped transform a defense that allowed a franchise-record for points a year ago. With the end of the NFL season, the leagues best players were rewarded. Just 4 days short of three years with at least a sack in every game. Its because of Keith Butler. This time around, Garrett is playing the best football of his career. J.J. Watt vs. Aaron Donald Stats | FantasyPros The younger Watt brother has emerged as the new face of this current Pittsburgh Steelers era(well until the draft a QB). T.J. Watt beats out Aaron Donald for 2021 Defensive Player of the - MSN Look at the edge rusher double team rates and the defensive tackle double team rates. 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. But being the best pass rusher does not make you the defensive player of the year. He was injured early against Minnesota on Dec. 9, and later that weekend, Parsons had a strip sack against Washington that was returned for a touchdown by Armstrong. 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. Watt also added 5 passes defended and an interception. This year TJ Watt deserved to be the DPOY. Then last November, he got COVID-19 and was slowed the rest of the season. Even though they play different positions their stats are still comparable. -- Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, on if he saw anything different from Donald on film that enabled him to dominate the Cardinals. This has nothing to do with AD personally.This is me saying what my brother wont.TJ played 1 less game and STILL led the NFL in every major category. frequently with multiple players looking to help. Take these two graphs that have been popping up a lot of places. 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 Rams' Aaron Donald has just won his third DPOY award, however, he did not deserve it. Time for Tomlin and co to figure this S*** out and get this team back into title contention. 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. Keep your eyes on Donald, dont watch the ball. 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. TJ will be collecting a ring in the near future. Got his individual hardware. Take a look at the projected jersey numbers for the Steelers 2023 NFL Draft class. Which makes one question why do they have individual awards for a game that is supposed to be the most team oriented sport in the world? Taylor had 9.5 sacks as a rookie. Donald had 12.5 sacks, 19 . His eighth NFL season is no different, and despite being 30 years old, he's shown no signs of slowing. J.J. Watt won the award in 2012, 2014, and 2015. T.J. Watt had 43 solo tackles, 10 assists, 15.0 sacks and 1 interception in 15 games in 2020. Cookie Notice Garrett is second in the NFL with 15 sacks, trailing only Watt's 16, and pass rush win rate, trailing only Donald. View a side-by-side comparison of Aaron Donald and J.J. Watt. 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. Did Pats make Mac Jones happy? Watt was not the only contender. The stat comparison between Watt and Donald is close. 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. New comments cannot be posted and votes cannot be cast. He did all that while missing two games, too. Bud Dupree has never had a season where the Steelers averaged under 3 sacks a game when he was active, and the Steelers have never had a stretch (multiple games) in that time without him where they averaged at least 3 a game. 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. 2 min read. THE BEST DEFENSIVE PLAYER IN THE LEAGUE! But most of the time the winner is decided by statistics. He said after winning the 2021 award that it was never anything personal against Donald. His tackle totals sit at 312 of the solo variety and 178 assisted for a final total of 490. The Steelers have Bud Dupree to help take the pressure off Watt, which shouldn't be used against him. https://theramswire.usatoday.com/2022/02/10/rams-steelers-tj-watt-aaron-donald-defensive-player-year/. 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. Season highlight: Watt's 3.5-sack game in the Steelers' comeback win against the Ravens was a signature performance. Fast forward a year and its Watt edging out Donald this time. At their respective peaks, who is/was better, Aaron Donald or JJ Watt Hes grabbed 6 interceptions and has 23 fumbles forced for his career. 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. However, in every other arena, Watt not only dominated, but he did so in fewer games. ALL-PRO REELS/CC BY-SA 2.0. Here the Giants have the guard and tackle on Donald, and the running back looking to help if he goes inside. Watt is a linebacker for the Pittsburgh Steelers. 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. Aaron Donald Vs T.j. Watt Stats | StatMuse In a vacuum, Watt is having one of the best seasons -- if not the best -- of his career.
Aaron Donald (#99) is the defensive tackle to the right side of the screen. I don;t think the Steelers have any plans to trade him. Parsons, meanwhile, is making a run at becoming the second rookie to be selected for the award. View a side-by-side comparison of J.J. Watt and Aaron Donald. Pittsburgh Steelers LB T.J. Watt Outshines Garrett, Donald in DPOY Race Taylor played in the media mecca. Rams defensive tackle Aaron Donald could conceivably win it every year given his dominance and the way he elevates players around him. He does not rush as much as Donald, therefore he does not have as many opportunities to make plays. TJ Watt is statistically outperforming Aaron Donald, and no one is talking about it. But . Steelers Free Agent Tracker: Keeping tabs on players staying, and leaving, Updating Steelers depth charts after Day 3 of the NFL Draft. All stats that are higher than Aaron Donald. Your login session has expired. If you or someone you know has a gambling problem, crisis counseling and referral services can be accessed by calling 1-800-GAMBLER (1-800-426-2537) (CO/IL/IN/LA/MD/MI/NJ/OH/PA/TN/WV/WY), 1-800-NEXT STEP (AZ), 1-800-522-4700 (KS/NH), 888-789-7777/visit ccpg.org (CT), 1-800-BETS OFF (IA), visit OPGR.org (OR), or 1-888-532-3500(VA).