Chandler Jones finishes third in Defensive Player of the Year voting
Feb 3, 2018, 7:45 PM | Updated: Feb 4, 2018, 8:50 am
Arizona Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones (55) celebrates his sack against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Nov. 26, 2017, in Glendale, Ariz. (AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
(AP Photo/Rick Scuteri)
Cardinals outside linebacker Chandler Jones made a strong push for 2017 Defensive Player of the Year but came up just short, finishing third in final voting.
Aaron Donald of the Los Angeles Rams and Calais Campbell of the Jacksonville Jaguars finished ahead of Jones, with Donald taking home the honor.
Jones led the NFL with 17.0 sacks and also set a career high with 52 solo tackles.
The six-year veteran played his first four seasons with New England before coming to the Cardinals in 2016. He has 28 total sacks in his first two seasons with Arizona and has registered double-digit sacks in four of his six seasons as a pro.
Jones was the only one who finished in the top three who was not on a playoff team.
Campbell, who finished second in voting, played his first nine seasons with the Cardinals before signing with the Jaguars last season. He also enjoyed a career high in sacks with 14.5, finishing second in the NFL behind Jones.
Interestingly enough, out of the eight players who received votes for the award, Campbell was the only player to represent a team in the AFC.
Donald finished second in the league with five forced fumbles. He pounded quarterbacks with 11 sacks including three against the Seattle Seahawks Dec. 17 and a game-ending sack against the 49ers on Thursday night on Sept. 21.
All of the top three in Defensive Player of the Year voting were defensive lineman. In fact, 49 of the 52 votes dished out for the award were issued to defensive lineman.
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