Eagles star Haason Reddick deserves Defensive MVP over Micah Parsons

Haason Reddick plays on the NFL’s best team, and he comes up big at important moments. Trust us. That matters.

Though Micah Parsons has a slightly higher sack total than Haason Reddick (13 sacks for Micah versus 12 for Haason), the Eagles have established themselves as a better team than the Cowboys and as, in the eyes of many, the best team in pro football. While Parsons might argue that being surrounded by better players hurts Haason’s case, we’d argue playing on a great team helps his case.

They typically don’t give these postseason honors to guys on losing teams. Would the Eagles have eight Pro Bowlers if they were 1-13? They probably wouldn’t, right? And, while we’re tossing out theories, here’s another. Couldn’t we argue that some of Micah’s spotlight comes as a result of playing for Dallas? Would he earn as much mention if he played for the Jacksonville Jaguars or Houston Texans?

Where you play matters. Who you play with matters. Team success matters. It all ties in together, and here’s where the rubber meets the road.

Reddick started slow (zero sacks in the Eagles’ first two games), but he has gotten to the quarterback in every game since then, minus Week 6 and Week 9. There’s more to playing linebacker than racking up sacks. We’re all aware of that, but every Reddick sack feels like a highlight-reel moment.

Reddick doesn’t just compile stats. He gets to the other team’s signal-caller on third down and on fourth down, and if the other team’s quarterback gets loose with the football, Haason is probably going to force a fumble. He’s forced four so far this season. Micah Parsons has three. Haason also has three fumble recoveries. Parsons has two of those.

Reddick seemingly is involved in a splash play weekly, and in Week 15, he was truly dominant. Try two sacks, two additional quarterback hits, a forced fumble, and a fumble recovery on for size. The Eagles are getting hot at the right time, and Reddick’s recent hot streak is part of the reason why that’s the case.