Steelers T.J. Watt leads the race for Defensive Player of the Year in 2020

The Pittsburgh Steelers have one of the best defenders in the NFL. Here’s why T.J. Watt leads the race for Defensive Player of the Year.

Steelers edge defender T.J. Watt is a player who is almost impossible not to like. Watt racked up a monster statistical performance against the Ravens on Wednesday afternoon that included 7 tackles, 2.0 sacks, 3 tackles for a loss, and 3 quarterback hits. But despite his jaw-dropping personal accomplishments in Week 12, that wasn’t enough for him.

After the game, Watt did not seem happy with just coming away with a win in a game in which he sacked the quarterback twice. He was apparently so upset with only beating a decimated Ravens team by five points that he didn’t even bother to take off his pads before his press conference.  This is exactly the type of mentality you want from your best overall player. The fact that Watt is only satisfied with blowout wins and not his own personal achievements is what makes him the anti-Antonio Brown character.

As a result of always pushing himself to the max, Watt now boasts the highest odds to win Defensive Player of the Year in 2020, according to Draft Kings Sportsbook. At +200, Watt has a narrow lead over future Hall-of-Famer, Aaron Donald (+250 odds), and is increasing his lead on Myles Garrett (+400 odds).

Why the Steelers star is the favorite to win DPOY

When you really break it down, it’s not hard to see why T.J. Watt is the frontrunner for the Defensive Player of the Year award this season. Let’s be honest; if Aaron Donald were to earn his fourth DPOY honors in 2020, there shouldn’t be a lot of people complaining. Donald is utterly dominant, and he is going to go down as one of the best defensive players in the history of the league. However, Watt is making a very strong case for himself.

Through 11 games, T.J. Watt leads the league in a number of major statistical departments, including sacks, tackles for a loss, quarterback hits, and pass rush win rate:

With Bud Dupree now out for the season, perhaps T.J. Watt gets even a little bit more attention rolled over to his direction. But to be honest, it really shouldn’t affect his productivity much. Watt had terrific games earlier this year against former All-Pro offensive tackles Lane Johnson and Jack Conklin. Mike Tomlin put to rest any concerns about the attention Watt may receive by saying that “guys like T.J. don’t depend on anyone.”

As long as T.J. Watt stays healthy, there isn’t any reason why he can’t come away with this award. He makes his presence felt more consistently than any other defender in the National Football League and he deserves to win the Defensive Player of the Year award in 2020.