Ravens MVP of the week: Matthew Judon

Week 11 of the NFL season brought yet another statement victory for the Baltimore Ravens with a 41-7 blowout of the Houston Texans. In a game which was billed as the game of the week featuring two MVP candidates at quarterback, only one shined while the other was contained and harassed for the entire game.

It would be easy to choose quarterback and MVP candidate Lamar Jackson for his four-touchdown performance, however, in a game where the defense of Baltimore sacked quarterback Deshaun Watson seven times and forced two turnovers, I am giving the nod to the leader of the pass rush that attacked Watson all day: outside linebacker Matthew Judon.

Judon set the tone of the game on the first drive of the game by sacking Watson and forcing a fumble that was recovered by rookie outside linebacker Jaylon Ferguson. On Houston’s next drive, Watson attempted to scramble but was brought down from behind by Judon for only a gain of one on the play. On 3rd-&-2 later in the drive, Judon came unblocked to stuff running back Carlos Hyde in the backfield for a loss of one.

Judon sacked Watson again on the Texan’s first drive of the second half. Watson lost 13 yards on the play, leading to a punt on 4th-&-23. Judon made his presence felt throughout the entire game, leading the defense with seven tackles, four quarterback hits, two sacks, a forced fumble, and four tackles for loss, continuing his case for a hefty new contract in free agency this upcoming offseason.