Why Khalil Mack is the Defensive Player of the Year
Khalil Mack vs. Landon Collins
It’s hard to make a comparison between and “in-the-box” defender and a defensive back, but I’ll try. And truth be told, Collins has the best case versus Mack of anybody on this list.
The Raiders (12-4) also finished with a better record than New York Giants (11-5) this year, although the difference in their team’s records is negligible, but it is still relevant in a team sport.
New York’s defense (10th, 339.7 YPG) significantly outperformed Oakland’s (26th, 375.1 YPG) this year, a fact the should be held against Mack in some capacity — if minimally — but was only marginally better than Oakland’s from Week 3 onward (extrapolated across the entire season and compared to other teams 16 game totals, the Raiders ranked 18th at 354.7 YPG, and New York ranked 14th at 344.2 YPG).
Collins to Mack is the hardest comparison to make in this discussion as the G-Men safety is the only defensive back. He too played in all 16 games to lead one of the NFL’s better defensive units. In a five game stretch from Week 6 through Week 11, the sophomore safety recorded five interceptions and two sacks. He finished the season with five interceptions (no forced fumbles), four sacks and 100 total tackles.
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One stat that Collins has on Mack is his 100 total tackles (good for second in the NFL). Mack only had 54, but they play vastly different positions that produce tackles at vastly different rates.
Collins also had more sacks than any other defensive back in the league, but this isn’t a “Defensive Back of the Year Award.”
A stat that hurts Collins’s case (or helps depending on how you choose to look at it) is the Giants average pass yards per game allowed: 339.7 (23rd in the NFL, just above Oakland).
Having made almost twice as many tackles as Mack, Collins forced no fumbles and only recovered one, whereas Mack had five and three respectively.
Having far more opportunities for such plays Collins only had one pick-six, same as Mack. Collins did put two games on ice however, same as Mack, with an interception against Chicago in Week 11 and a fumble recovery against Dallas in Week 14.
Collins has the best case of anybody not named Khalil Mack, but I still think Khalil edges him out.
Here’s the bottom line: