Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland in ‘tight’ fight to win the season’s Defensive Player of the year

If the season ended today, it would be Parsons who takes the award home.

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons, DaRon Bland in ‘tight’ fight to win the season’s Defensive Player of the year

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (#11) and cornerback DaRon Bland (#26) on the field in the third quarter against the Los Angeles Rams at AT&T Stadium. (Via Imago)

The Dallas Cowboys could make history this season by becoming the second team to house both the NFL MVP and the Defensive Player of the Year. A feat that has been achieved just once by the duo of Steve Young and Deion Sanders back in 1994 when they were on the San Francisco 49ers. With Dak Prescott playing at a high level this year, he has established himself as one of the top contenders in the run-up to win the AP NFL MVP Award.

His teammates Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland are right up there alongside Dak to win the AP NFL Defensive Player of the Year Award. FOX Sports has Micah Parsons with the highest odds to win the award, followed by Myles Garrett of the Cleveland Browns, T.J. Watt of the Pittsburgh Steelers, and DaRon Bland.

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Bland has been playing at an elite level in his second year in the NFL, the 5th-round pick has come out of the gates swinging as he has 45 solo tackles, and 8 interceptions, leading the NFL, and has 14 passes defended.

Micah Parsons is the best draft decision made by the Dallas Cowboys since Dak Prescott has 25 solo tackles, 12.5 sacks, and 1 forced fumble this season. The impact he has had on the game is undeniable. Parsons is just that good, he has been compared to the likes of Lawrence Taylor, which is nothing short of an honor.

Between Daron Bland and Micah Parsons, who has the better shot at winning the DPOY award this season? If the season ended today, it would be Parsons who takes the award home. The NFL has been awarding the DPOY honors to linebackers and defensive ends over cornerbacks in the last decade. The only corner to have won the award in the last 10 years is Stephon Gilmore in 2019.

His state line was 40 solo tackles, 9 assisted tackles, 20 passes defended, 6 interceptions, and 2 touchdowns. In comparison, Bland has already surpassed him in solo tackles and interceptions and is on the path to tally him when it comes to passes defended. Bland has broken the record for having the most NFL single-season interception returns for a touchdown with 5. A record that has not been touched since 1993.

There are other contenders alongside Micah Parsons and DaRon Bland for DPOY

Micah Parsons has broken his share of records as well. The All-Pro linebacker has joined Reggie White and established himself as one of two players to have started their careers with 12 sacks in each of their first three seasons. Parsons achieved the feat at the Cowboys-Eagles game, which increased the number of sacks recorded by him to 12.5.

He has been eyeing the NFL sack record for a long time, 23 sacks. If he is able to get there, then he will win the award without any question. However, that will be nothing short of a Herculean task to accomplish in the next few games.

The linebacker has vouched for DaRon Bland to win the Defensive Player of the Year award, 

Five pick-sixes, returned for touchdowns in 1 season. Holy moly, this is greatness, people don’t understand how special it is, how amazing it is to see that out of your teammate.

While Parsons and Bland are top contenders, they are not the only ones in the race. Myles Garrett, the defensive end for the Cleveland Browns can creep up and gain an edge over them any time, he has 25 solo tackles this season, 13 sacks, and 4 forced fumbles. Then there is T.J. Watt, who has 37 solo tackles, 14 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception this season.

Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett (95) in action during the game
Cleveland Browns defensive end Myles Garrett in action during a game (Via Imago)

The biggest hurdle that Bland faces this season is that despite his remarkable season, NFL oddsmakers are not biting into the hype, which is why he still has the 4th highest odds behind the defensive ends and linebackers. Readers can make the best out of these odds by checking on the best football betting sites out there. He is not believed to be the best defensive player on his team because that title belongs to Micah Parsons, who gets double-teamed by linemen and hence is considered to have a much harder task to accomplish.

The other factor for Bland’s positioning is that there are way too many pass rushers putting up great numbers this season. When you have Parsons, T.J. Watt, and Myles Garrett ahead of you, it is next to impossible to gain an edge over them unless you do something that sets a record or puts you in a class by yourself.

This is not to discredit any of DaRon Bland’s achievements this season. In a perfect world, he deserves to be up there next to Parsons, but the league does not work that way and it is likely his teammate will end up winning the award over him.

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