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J.J. Watt Named AFC Defensive Player of the Month

If you want to point to a cause for the Texans' turnaround this season, you should probably start by looking at the other-worldly play of Houston's All-Everything DE.

Cue the Jaws theme.
Cue the Jaws theme.
Derick E. Hingle-USA TODAY Sports

There are some awards where the answer to "who should win?" is so obvious that suggesting any other answer instantly marks you as a loon. The AFC Defensive Player of the Month for November 2015 was certainly one of those awards, as no one other than J.J. Watt should have even been considered. Today, the league made it official.

From the NFL's press release:

  • Watt led the NFL with 7.5 sacks to go along with 20 tackles, including nine tackles for a loss, and one forced fumble as the Texans finished November with an undefeated record (4-0) for the first time in club history.
  • Watt posted at least one sack in every game this month and led a Texans defense that ranked first in the NFL in total defense (250.5 yards per game) and scoring defense (8.8 points per game) for the month.
  • He had five tackles, 2.5 sacks and forced a fumble in the Texans’ 20-6 win against Tennessee in Week 8 and added two two tackles and one sack in a 10-6 win over previously undefeated Cincinnati in Week 10.
  • In Week 11 against the Jets, Watt notched eight tackles and two sacks in a 24-17 win and finished the month with five tackles and two sacks against New Orleans last week.
  • Watt leads the NFL with 13.5 sacks and has 70.5 sacks in 75 career games. He reached 70 career sacks in the second-fewest games of any NFL player since 1982, trailing only Hall of Famer REGGIE WHITE (57 games).

This is Watt's fifth Defensive Player of the Month Award, and his first since December 2014. His five awards trail only Bruce Smith (6) for most by a player since the award's inception in 1986.

You know...I think this Watt kid is gonna be a pretty good player in this league.

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