Charles LeClaire-USA TODAY Sports
Aaron Donald won Defensive Player of the Year over T.J. Watt and his brother J.J. wasn’t going to let the snub go unanswered.
This season did not end the way the Green Bay Packers were hoping, with a 31-26 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the NFC Championship Game cutting short an incredible season. It’s small consolation but they did clean up in the postseason awards with Aaron Rodgers announced as league MVP and defensive lineman Aaron Donald taking Defensive Player of the Year.
Rodgers’ win was largely expected but Donald winning Defensive Player of the Year elicited a bit more controversy. T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers finished second in the voting and his brother J.J. Watt was quick to come to his defense.
What did J.J. Watt have to say about T.J. Watt’s Defensive Player of the Year snub?
As you would expect, Watt is nothing but respectful of Glover’s play but he has a point — T.J. was ahead in nearly every significant defensive statistical category and he did it despite playing one less game. Defense is obviously a team pursuit but it’s also worth pointing out that the Steelers, led by T.J., measured out as the best defense in the league by a wide margin, according to Pro Football Outsiders’ Defensive DVOA.
J.J., of course, should be able to recognize elite defensive performances when he sees them. He’s won three Defensive Player of the Year Awards himself, and is the Texans’ all-time franchise leader in sacks and forced fumbles.
Stats are obviously not the only criteria used to hand out awards like this and it’s possible Donald may have gotten a bump for legacy. He was the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2014 and won Defensive Player of the Year in both 2017 and 2018. T.J. Watt may not have won this year but he did move up the final results after finishing third last season behind Stephen Gilmore and Chandler Jones.