Miami Dolphins linebacker Jordyn Brooks put forth an outstanding performance on Sunday in Madrid, racking up 20 tackles en route to leading his Miami Dolphins to an impressive victory over the Washington Commanders. It was the fifth time this year he collected at least a dozen tackles in a game, and his 125 tackles on the season now lead the NFL.
If there’s anybody who knows a thing or two about playing great defense, it’s future Hall of Famer J.J. Watt, who is now one of the most notable announcers in football. As great as Brooks was on Sunday, Watt believes a Cleveland Browns defender was robbed of the AFC Defensive Player of the Week award, which Brooks won.
Watt took to X to argue that Brooks shouldn’t have won on Wednesday. In a reply to analyst Andrew Siciliano, Watt agreed that Myles Garrett should not have been passed over for the honor.
“The requirement that your team win the game for you to win an individual award is very bizarre. It’s best defensive player of the week. Not best defensive player whose offense also played well this week.”
The requirement that your team win the game for you to win an individual award is very bizarre.
It’s best defensive player of the week.
Not best defensive player whose offense also played well this week. https://t.co/BFsBfhM5zO— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 19, 2025
Garrett Deserves More Than Weekly Awards
Siciliano pointed out that Brooks won in Week 8 when Garrett had five sacks, and he now won again when Garrett had four sacks against the Baltimore Ravens in last week’s loss. Garrett now has 15 sacks on the year and is on pace to break the single-season record, yet he hasn’t won Defensive Player of the Week.
It’s odd that winning the game has such an impact on this award, because there’s no question that Garrett was the best player on defense in a week when he had four or five sacks. Twenty tackles is an incredible feat, but Brooks didn’t have a single tackle for a loss among those 20.
It’s a shame that this is the way things are, and in the grand scheme of things, Garrett would surely rather be winning games. If he keeps this up, he’ll have some bigger accolades waiting for him after the season.
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