Whitney Mercilus emerged as the scourge of quarterbacks during a breakthrough season in which he rushed the passer from various points across the line of scrimmage.
Mercilus displayed speed and power and a touch of creativity in his moves as he ran past, powered through or spun around blockers. The Texans' starting outside linebacker even lined up over the center and busted through gaps in blocking schemes.
Mercilus recorded a career-high dozen sacks during the regular season, including 3 ½ sacks in one game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. He recorded three more sacks in the Texans' 30-0 AFC wild-card playoff loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.