AJ Terrell Is Quietly Having a Defensive Player of the Year Caliber Season

You know I’m allowing myself to become delusional about my Atlanta Falcons when I start writing fluff pieces about them and their players. We’re a far cry away from when I wrote an article calling them the worst team in the NFL.

Now I’m all in. With them being on a BYE last week, I haven’t watched them lose a game since Week 4 against Washington, which feels like ages ago. That’s long enough for me to convince myself that this team is going to the playoffs. After all, they are sitting only one spot out of the final wild card berth as we head into Week 8.

WynnBET still has no faith in the Dirty Birds, as it has Atlanta’s odds to win Super Bowl 56 set near the bottom of the odds list at +50000, but that’s okay, as long as they make it into the postseason, I’m happy.

A big reason for the Falcons success the past few weeks has been second year cornerback AJ Terrell.

While everyone has been talking about players like T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, and Trevon Diggs, Terrell has quietly established himself as a premier cornerback in the NFL.

Sure, he may not have the sexy statistics like interceptions and forced fumbles, but he’s been a lockdown corner for the Falcons all season long.

He’s the only cornerback in the NFL who has yet to allow a catch on 50+ snaps in man coverage. No wonder he doesn’t have the stats, quarterbacks aren’t even throwing to his side of the field because of how good his coverage is!

My biggest question is, should it be “AJ Island” or “Terrell Island?”.

I’ll admit, the Defensive Player of the Year award is likely going to go to whoever leads the NFL in sacks or interceptions, but can we at least start recognizing Terrell for how dominant he’s been in only his second year in the league?

The Falcons host the Panthers as 2.5-point favorites in Week 8.