Minnesota Vikings defensive end Jared Allen came within a half sack of tying the NFL record for sacks in a single season this year with 22, coming this close to Michael Strahan's 10 year old record from 2001. The former Chiefs star continues to remind everyone in KC just how incredible his talents are, and yet somehow it was only good enough for third place when considering all defensive players this season when it came to Pro Football Focus' NFL Defensive Player of the Year award. That's because Justin Smith and Darrelle Revis were just a bit better.
"This season was a revelation for Jared Allen," writes Neil Hornsby. "Not because of the ultimately unsuccessful but none the less impressive attempt to break Michael Strahan’s sack record. No this was the year in which he became the all-round player he had never looked before. As we explained above, simple numbers won’t get you on this list; we demand balance and run defense has normally been an afterthought for Allen in years gone by. I prepared myself for analyzing the Denver game with a sense of impending dread; how would he cope with pass rushing just a dozen times? Frankly he was superb and of the 150 yards the Broncos gained only 14 came in his zone with zero over left end. This wasn’t a one off, he graded only red only once in the running game all year and when added to his fantastic pass rushing feats you have a new player; the third best in the NFL this year."