Arizona Cardinals 2015 postseason awards

Cardinals Defensive Player of the Year

There are a number of deserving players but I think the playoffs showed there was no one the Cardinals defense missed more than Tyrann Mathieu.  While guys like Deone Bucannon, Patrick Peterson, Kevin Minter, Calais Campbell, and Dwight Freeney had good seasons, Mathieu was the heart and soul.  When he was lost for the season in December, not all was lost on the defense but certainly a good piece of it.  Easy choice here in Mathieu. – Scott 

Tyrann Mathieu. Easy. In a very close second is Patrick Peterson, if we don’t count the playoffs and his costly mistakes in the NFC Championship game, but Mathieu showed why he was the defensive player of the year because after the team lost him, they weren’t the same on defense. They couldn’t cover in the middle of the field and quarterbacks no longer feared the Honey Badger lurking. By subtraction the defense just wasn’t as good as it was before the Badger tore his ACL and the team should be counting the days until he comes back. This isn’t to say the rest of the team wasn’t solid on defense, sans a pass rush there are great numbers all around, and great plays by everyone, but a single, well-rounded, solid player was missing in the latter part of the season and the playoffs and it showed. – Erich

There are so many deserving players here, but in my opinion it is the Honey Badger, Tyrann Mathieu. While listed as a free safety, Mathieu played a majority of his snaps as a corner back, and excelled at it. In 14 games this season, Mathieu accumulated 80 total tackles, 5 interceptions (including one returned for a touchdown), 1 sack and 17 passes defended. Tyrann Mathieu allowed defensive coordinator James Bettcher to be more aggressive and diversify the pressure knowing that Mathieu was in the secondary ready to clean anything up.

Mathieu’s impact was greatly missed in the last 4 games of the season as opposing quarterbacks began to pick on Justin Bethel and not throw in Patrick Peterson’s direction. While his season was unfortunately cut short in Week 15 against the Eagles when he tore his ACL tear (Mathieu still made an interception on the play), he still cemented his spot as a candidate for the NFL Defensive Player of the Year award.  As a testament to his production on the field, Mathieu was named to the All-Pro first team along with secondary partner Patrick Peterson. – Vijay

I wanted to say Patrick Peterson, Calais Campbell, or Dwight Freeney, but there is no way I leave out the Honey Badger. I don’t like to blame injury, but Tyrann Mathieu being on the field would make a big difference for the Cardinals in the NFC Championship. No way do the Cardinals allow Ted Ginn Jr. to shred them in the passing game, and he is a surefire tackler. Tyrann was also in the running for the defensive player of the year, so it’s all him for me – Johnathan

Next: Cardinals Play of the Year