Whether you like it or not, sacks are where it’s at for defensive players in the NFL. It’s the stat for which most are judged on their success. And though it’s a narrow margin, T.J. Watt is, once again, leading the league with 16.
Watt’s older brother, future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, is tired of the debate about who’s the best defensive player in the NFL.
“He’s the best defensive player in football,” Watt said on the Dec. 20 Pat McAfee Show. “I’m so sick of the conversation.”
“He does it every single week. Teams double-team him, triple-team him, he gets held. I don’t know what more you’d want from an argument standpoint.”
Watt feels a certain way about fans who want to look outside of the stats.
“Some people want to say don’t look at the statistics. I’m like, ‘Hey, dumbass, that’s how you judge stuff in football.’ You judge teams by wins, you judge players by stats, that’s how this s–t works. Why do we keep track of anything? Oh, I don’t know… maybe it’s because that’s how you judge who’s good and who’s not.”
“Guys got the most sacks. He’s the best. What do you want?”
You call him biased, but you can’t call him wrong.
Whether that will hold up in the final three games remains to be seen. The only year over the past four that Watt hasn’t accomplished this feat of NFL sack leader was when he was sidelined for half of the 2022 season.
According to DraftKings Sportsbook, Watt ranks third in the Defensive Player of the Year race.
"TJ Watt is the best defensive player in football and he does it every single week"@JJWatt #PMSLive pic.twitter.com/X0Ngv8uW1N
— Pat McAfee (@PatMcAfeeShow) December 20, 2023
