Wednesday Morning QB (NFL Week 12)
The season is quickly coming to an end as the playoff race is about to start but that is not the only race that is just heating up. The player awards are also beginning to take shape and this year could be a more interesting year than ever before. The rookies are going off on offence and defence while the usual names at quarterback are once again having great years in pursuit of the MVP. These award are all going to be big battles down the stretch as players continue to get better or fall off of the map. Although most awards are setting up to be a tight battle until the end of the season there is one award that seems to be a runaway already. That award is the defensive player of the year as J.J. Watt has clearly taken the lead in the run. Watt has already taken home that award in 2012 when he officially announced his arrival into the NFL. It was the year of J.J. “Swatt” where he took a new meaning to getting your hands up at the line. He had a total of 16 passes defenced from the defensive line while adding 20.5 sacks and 81 tackles as well as 4 forced fumbles. The great year made Watt one of the best defensive players in the game and won him the defensive player of the year award. 2013 saw plenty of high hopes for the defensive end but he couldn’t match the same numbers he did a year before in a bad ear for the Houston defence. This year it is all different as Watt is back to his old self and leading the Houston defence for another year. His 44 tackles and 9.5 sacks this year along with 7 passes defenced but has also added 1 interception and a touchdown. He is on pace for another great year and for many he remains the most dominant defensive player in the NFL right now. More than that though is the fact that Watt is becoming a weapon on offence as well. After being a secret weapon in past years on offence he is becoming more of a constant at the goal line. With two receptions this year for two touchdowns he is becoming a part of the offence in a bigger way. With the size to be a tight end and good hands he could see more time on the offensive side of the ball. If he continues to do that throughout the last few weeks of the season the talk of Watt becoming the MVP may grow. That would be a major moment for the NFL as Watt would become only the third defensive player to win the award. That is because it is an award that is not necessarily named properly. The most valuable players should be able to be won by anyone on the football field but it always seems to go to an offensive player. Only Lawrence Taylor and Alan Paige have ever won the award as a defensive player but the last time that happened was Taylor in 1986. Since that time the award has gone to an offensive player ever year. Not only has it gone to an offensive player but it has only gone to a quarterback or running back every year. For an award to be given to the best player I the league it seems like the requirements shrink with every year. It is not that the players haven’t deserved the awards in the past few years but everyone now and then a running back and a quarterback may be overshadowed by another position. This year Watt is beginning that path as he has not yet eclipsed the quarterbacks of the year but if he continues on this path for the rest of the season and even steps it up there will be a debate to be had about Watt becoming something more than just the defensive player of the year. As he continues to try to make that impact the voters remain looking at the quarterbacks and finding ways to elect them, which is an easy argument to make for any of the top QBs in the league. Will there be a defensive player as an MVP this year? Probably not. But if Watt can get some serious consideration this year he may not be far off from becoming the third ever defensive player to win an MVP in the NFL.
Fifth Quarter:
(Thoughts on Week 12 in the NFL)
Scary Week of Berry
Chiefs’ safety Eric Berry is having a very scary week after a mass was found in his chest that could be cancerous forcing the Chiefs to place him on the non-football illness list as he awaits the results
Bills at Home in Detroit
The Buffalo Bills had an odd home game this week when they travelled to Detroit to play indoors after a snowstorm buried Buffalo and prevented officials from cleaning up Ralph Wilson Stadium in time for the game, but the Bills won anyway 38-3
Lynch’s Media Availability
Marshawn Lynch is not known for his great relationship with the media and after he was fined for not making himself available after Week 11 he made sure the NFL will never want him there again after a painful media scrum where Lynch provided only one-word answers
Key Scores:
Cleveland Browns 26 0 24 Atlanta Falcons
– The Browns continued their run through the NFL as they are one of the more surprising teams this year keeping pace with the rest of their division while, despite the loss, the Falcons still took over first place in their division
Green Bay Packers 24 – 21 Minnesota Vikings
– Coming off of two straight 50+ point games the Packers were expected to roll over the struggling Vikings but they struggled to get much going keeping the Vikings in the game until the end but the Packers still pulled out a win and took over first in the North
Seattle Seahawks 19 – 3 Arizona Cardinals
– It wasn’t pretty but the Seahawks pulled out a win against the best team in the NFL showing everyone that the defending champions are not ready to give up their title run just yet while the Cards took a rare loss
Buffalo Bills 38 – 3 New York Jets
– It was a rough week for the Bills as their city was quite literally buried in snow as the game was moved to Ford Field after a snow storm had shut down much of Buffalo including Ralph Wilson Stadium but the Bills didn’t care where they played they still got by the Jets
Next Week:
Philadelphia Eagles vs. Dallas Cowboys (Thursday November 27th; 4:30 pm ET)
– Dallas follows tradition on Thanksgiving Day when they host the Philadelphia Eagles in a NFC East battle that could go a long way to determining who takes the division as the playoff race begins to heat up
Seattle Seahawks vs. San Francisco 49ers (Thursday November 27th; 8:30 pm ET)
– The newest Thanksgiving Day tradition continues as the night game on one of the biggest days in the NFL features two of the most bitter rivals in the game and this time they are battling to get closer to first and a playoff spot
New England Patriots vs. Green Bay Packers (Sunday November 30th; 4:25 pm ET)
– Tom Brady and Aaron Rodgers struggled out of the gate but have been the two best quarterbacks in the league as of late and they hope to continue their hot play against each other in a game that will come down to the defence
Denver Broncos vs. Kansas City Chiefs (Sunday November 30th; 8:30 pm ET)
– The Broncos and Chiefs are fighting for the Division lead this year and with neither team being very dominant they will duke it out on Sunday Night Football with the winner taking over first place in the West
The Sport Addiction 