Patriots legend Rodney Harrison gets Matt Judon awards talk started
By Jerry Trotta
The New England Patriots rolled over the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night.
A defensive touchdown late in the fourth quarter helped produce a final score that was indicative of how lopsided the matchup was, because this game could have easily been a blowout in the 40-point range if the Pats were more sharp offensively.
Speaking of the defense, that was pretty much the story from the game.
Sure, the Falcons were without two of their top playmakers, but anytime you pitch a shutout against an NFL offense you should give yourself a pat on the back.
There was a wealth of standout performers from the win, so we feel a bit slimy singling out one player from the bunch.
However, Matt Judon‘s latest impactful showing prompted Patriots legend Rodney Harrison to ask NFL Twitter a simple question; one that probably should’ve been asked a couple of weeks ago.
Judon - Def player of the year ??
— Rodney Harrison (@Rodney_Harrison) November 19, 2021
Rodney Harrison thinks Matt Judon should be getting more recognition as a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.
As evidenced throughout his time as an analyst for NBC, Harrison is susceptible to spewing the occasional scorching take. However, the former two-time champion asked a really engaging question here.
Why isn’t Judon getting more love in DPOY talks?
The way we see it, the current candidates for the hardware are Myles Garrett, TJ Watt and Trevon Diggs, assuming he keeps intercepting passes at a historic rate. There’s no reason for Judon, who might just be the best offseason acquisition of any team in the league, to not be included in that discussion.
For the sake of argument, let’s compare these players’ stats.
- Garrett: 13 TFLs, 13 sacks, 24 QB hits, 50 pressures, 21 run stops, 27 hurries
- Watt: 13 TFLs, 12 sacks, 20 QB Hits, 28 pressures, 23 run stops, nine hurries
- Judon: 11 TFLs, 10.5 sacks, 22 QB hits, 52 pressures, 24 run stops, 30 hurries
We’re not even going to include Diggs’ stat line. All the Cowboys corner has going for him is interceptions.
10.5 sacks on the year for Matthew Judon. New career high.
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) November 19, 2021
Big free-agent signing ... playing big.
The bottom line is that we’ve heard from countless talking heads that Garrett is running away with the Defensive Player of the Year award. We hate basing our entire argument on stats, but is that not the voters’ deciding factor?
Judon’s numbers align right up with Garrett’s, but the national media doesn’t want you to know that. The national media doesn’t want you to know that Judon has completely transformed the Patriots’ defense, which might just be the best in the NFL. It’s gotta be Bill Belichick’s system, right?
Nope.
We’re not taking anything away from Garrett. The Browns edge rusher will likely win multiple DPOYs over his career. His first could even come this season and it would be fully deserved. However, to act like Judon isn’t neck-and-neck with him (and Watt, we suppose) is utter nonsense.
Not only does Judon belong in the conversation, but he should probably be leading the polls if the Browns’ and Steelers’ seasons continue to spiral out of control.
