At the beginning of the season, it felt as though the Defensive Player of the Year race specifically favored one Bronco. With six games remaining, the award appears to be all but wrapped up, barring something incredible happening. Unfortunately for the Broncos, this year's award has firmly moved out of Denver and to the east coast.
After Pat Surtain won the award last year, there was a decent chance that the hardware could stay in Denver this year. While he continues to be one of the premier defenders in the entire league, his injury in Week 8 derailed any chance of a repeat.