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When the NFL thought of constituting DPOY and DROY awards separately, someone like Micah Parsons was far from their thoughts. The rationale for having DPOY and DROY awards was straightforward. The Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY) award was for veterans who would emerge as the best defenders in the league. So as not to get swamped by their success, rookies fresh out of college, who could possibly not play the game as well as veterans, would be given the chance to compete for the Defensive Rookie of the Year (DROY) award.
But from time to time there comes a generational talent who blurs the line between DPOY and DROY. Micah Parsons is one such talent. He was already the presumptive nominee in the reckoning for the DROY award because he was so far ahead of everyone else. But his performances over the last few weeks have dramatically shortened the odds of him winning the DPOY award as well.
We look at both the stats he has been putting up and the odds that have been reacting to his performances.
Micah Parsons emerges among DROY and DPOY favorites
Stats
Micah Parsons has 12 sacks this season in 13 games and is seventh on the list of total sacks. But what has caught the eye of observers is his recent form and his complete dominance on defense.
Micah Parsons recorded 2 sacks this week and has 9.5 sacks in the last six weeks. If he carries this vein of form into the last four games, he will end up with 18 sacks this season.
His overall dominance on defense has been equally astounding. His 115 yards on sacks is the highest among all players with, at least, 5 sacks. In addition to that, he has been an absolute monster when it comes to tackling. Micah Parsons has 75 total tackles, 57 of them solo, and no one in the top 10 sack leaders even comes close to that number.
Odds
Micah Parsons' odds have dramatically improved with both DPOY and DROY considerations after Week 14.
When it comes to DROY, he has been the firm favorite since pretty much the beginning of the season. Patrick Surtain II challenged him for a short while, but Micah Parsons has now pulled away decisively. His odds have moved from -500 to -2000 to -10000 in the last three weeks. Barring absolutely unforeseen circumstances, Micah Parsons is as close to a lock as you can get when projecting for the winner of the DROY award.
But what is interesting is his improvement in the odds on the DPOY tracker. He was +3000 last week with TJ Watt and Myles Garrett both ahead of him. But while both have stayed around +300, Micah Parsons' performance has brought him within range of the current odds of +400.
If he maintains this consistent, he could very well move ahead of them as well. And if he does so, he will match the standards set by Lawrence Taylor that have stood for 40 years.
