Houston Texans’ J.J. Watt Should Be A Lock For MVP After Week 17 Performance
By Michael Compton
@MWCompton
Kevin Jairaj-USA Today Sports
With the final AFC playoff spot at stake, the Houston Texans came out firing in their Week 17 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. As expected, elite defensive end J.J. Watt played a significant role in the victory, potentially capping a successful MVP bid.
With the Texans’ offense doing just enough, Watt anchored an aggressive defensive effort that stifled the Jaguars all game long. He entered the game leading the NFL with 25 tackles for losses and 47 quarterback hits, and it didn’t take long for the MVP candidate to add to his numbers, sacking Blake Bortles two times in the first quarter and forcing a fumble.
With a third sack for a safety late in the fourth quarter, Watt now has a franchise-best 57 sacks in his four-year career and is the only player in NFL history with 20 or more sacks in two different seasons.
For much of the afternoon it appeared that the stars would align for the Texans, who needed a win combined with losses by both the San Diego Chargers and Baltimore Ravens to advance to the postseason in their first year under head coach Bill O’Brien. The Texans did their part in defeating the Jaguars, and the Chargers lost, but the Ravens came from behind to beat the Cleveland Browns to earn the final AFC playoff spot.
Despite the disappointment of missing the playoffs, however, the Texans and its fans should take heart in that they may have fielded an MVP this season. Without Watt, the Texans wouldn’t even have come this far.
Michael Compton is a Jacksonville Jaguars writer for RantSports. Follow him on Twitter at @MWCompton and connect with him on Google.
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