Sunday was a good one for Houston Texans star J.J. Watt's chances of winning NFL Defensive Player of the Year honors. Heck, I haven't counted him out of the MVP discussion.
On a day when the Denver Broncos' Von Miller and San Francisco 49ers' Aldon Smith were quiet, Watt dominated the Indianapolis Colts: 10 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks and four more quarterback hits.
Watt now has 19.5 sacks on the season. He's tied with Smith for the NFL lead and is just three sacks away from Michael Strahan's league record.
"I've been preparing my whole life for this type of stuff," Watt said, via the Houston Chronicle. "It's just starting to come to fruition. One thing I can say is, I'm happy it's not over. I've got plenty of football left, and I can get so much better. ... The fun is just beginning."
I've seen enough. Watt has my hypothetical vote for the league's best defensive player. He has been more consistently dominating from the interior than Miller or Smith have been on the edges.
The big question left is if Watt will re-write the record book. Don't bet against it; Watt has another game against the Colts in Week 17.
Follow Gregg Rosenthal on Twitter @greggrosenthal.
