Should Myles Garrett and T.J. Watt be in the NFL's MVP conversation? - ESPN

PITTSBURGH — Defense wins championships. That's a universally accepted adage in every level of football.

But defensive players winning the NFL's coveted Most Valuable Player award? Not so much.

Only two defensive players have won the leaguewide MVP award, an honor decided by a panel of 50 national media members selected by The Associated Press that includes writers, broadcasters, former players and coaches. On Sunday, the rematch between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Cleveland Browns will feature two game-changing defensive players in T.J. Watt and Myles Garrett, who've been floated in midseason MVP discussions.

Garrett and Watt are first and second in sacks this season, Garrett is tied with Minnesota Vikings linebacker Danielle Hunter atop the list with 11 and Watt is just behind them with 10.5. They are also tied for second with 20 quarterback hits, just behind San Francisco 49ers edge rusher Nick Bosa's league-leading 21.

«Those guys are game-wreckers,» Steelers safety Minkah Fitzpatrick told ESPN. «They are who they are for a reason, and they definitely affect the outcome of the games that they participate in. So they for sure should be considered, at least.»

Fitzpatrick was born a decade after the last defensive player won the award. And he was a junior at St. Peter's Prep in Jersey City, New Jersey, the last time a defensive player even got a first-place vote.

One hurdle defensive players face is that their impact isn't always measured in a stat line the way it might be for a quarterback or an offensive skilled player.

«Defense obviously wins championships,» Fitzpatrick said, «and defense keeps you in games and whatnot, but I think that when you have a quarterback that touches the ball and touches the ball every play