Well, after the NFL Honors ceremony, we sit where we expected to sit.

Right or wrong, this is what we expected: Myles Garrett is the NFL’s Defensive Player of the Year.

First off, I have to get this out of the way: congratulations to him. He is a generational, all around phenomenal talent who is well on his way to a spot in Canton when it’s all said and done.

But I just don’t get it.

I simply can’t understand how a man who lost in so many statistical categories to TJ Watt wound up with the award anyways.

I can’t understand how a player who recorded a single sack after Thanksgiving can win Defensive Player of the Year.

TJ Watt may not either, but he’s used to this kind of snubbing.

We’ve seen charts like this circulate online, ones that show Watt besting Garrett in several categories, including sacks.

But this chart, courtesy of Pro Football Reference, does not even tell the full story.

Maybe you like total tackles more than only solo ones. Watt had 68 to Garrett’s 42.

Maybe you’re a tackles for loss kinda person. Watt beats Garrett 19 to 17.

Maybe you’re really into passes defended. Watt has 8, Garrett has 3.

Maybe you don’t like any of those, but you have a personal connection to QB hits. Watt’s got you covered, with 36 to Garrett’s 30.

I could continue.

So how does it make any sense for Garrett to win DPOY?

Fans in Cleveland would despise a piece like this. They’d call me a homer, they’d call me a typical dim-witted Pittsburgher (surely that’s the exact language they’d use), they’d claim I didn’t understand football.

Personally, I’d love for my confusion to reach those in Cleveland. It would mean my work has reached a new corner of the world (and man, could we really use some more viewers here), but more importantly, maybe someone could help me understand why a player who has lost in every category across the board win over TJ.

Is it because Watt already has won? Watt was named DPOY back in 2021, when tied the NFL sack record at 22.5.

Is it because of an agenda the NFL was pushing? I don’t personally believe that, but if it’s a reasonable conversation that people can look at and have, that’s not great for the league!

Is it analytics? Is it acceptable that rare analytical advantages like pass rush win rate can trample on real, physical stats? And even more so, trample on so many?

TJ Watt absolutely deserved to win DPOY this year. I don’t say that as someone who watches and covers the Steelers. I say that as someone who watches football. I say that as someone who has seen both Watt and Garrett play many times.

There is no questioning that Myles Garrett is a generational football player and pure athletic talent. I need the pro-Garrett side to get that through their heads. The Watt crew cannot argue any different.

But Garrett did not have a better season than TJ Watt in 2023. In fact, it wasn’t even close.

You know what was close? Their stat lines in the postseason.

The problem there? TJ Watt was out.

(Featured photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images)