It's a weird time of year for everyone. Even with all the New Year's celebrations in the rearview mirror, I'm not sure what day it is. I'd argue days haven't existed since mid-December. Every night is just another random bowl game followed by an NFL Game on a streaming platform that I don't pay for.
Even now, as most of the NFL playoff seeds are wrapped up, we still have to punch our card this Sunday afternoon (if Sunday afternoons are still a thing?) for one more depressing slate of 12 PM kickoffs.
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The weird dip in pre-playoff football hasn't given us much to talk about, which is a problem on the internet. The internet is like a shark: if it isn't immediately onto consuming the next thing, constantly in motion, it dies. (Also no one really understands it, and it should probably just be left alone.)
ESPN knows this though. In a newly-published piece that just ... arbitrarily ranks the 50 best players in the NFL this season (with a week to go?) ESPN's NFL writer Bill Barnwell heaps on plenty of praise for Packers safety Xavier McKinney, and in doing so lays out the perfect case for McKinney winning Defensive Player of the Year.
ESPN's Bill Barnwell makes a great DPOY argument for Packers' Xavier McKinney
"After racking up eight picks in 49 games with the Giants, he has seven in his first season in Green Bay," writes Barnwell. "In addition to the picks, McKinney's role in center field has led him to become an essential part of what the Packers do best. They rank second in QBR allowed on deep throws (20 or more yards in the air) and first on bombs (30 or more yards in the air), with offenses going 1-of-15 for 31 yards with a touchdown and three picks in the latter category."
Barnwell knows what he's talking about, so who am I to argue any of this? And while it doesn't explicitly mention DPOY chances for McKinney, I'm not above making the leap in logic. Just because this is peak Betwixtmas content doesn't mean it should be ignored. If it was arguing that someone else deserves to win DPOY this year, then we'd ignore it.