Chase Young Takes Commanding Lead in NFL DROY Odds After Scoring 1st Touchdown in Week 14
- Washington Football Team defensive end Chase Young is the -180 odds-on favorite to be named NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year
- Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn is the second betting choice at +210
- Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield Jr (+650) is the only other contender with a betting line lower than +1900
When it comes to the NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year, Chase Young is on fire. And that could very well mean that the chase for the award is all but over.
Young, the Washington Football Team defensive end, ending up scoring his first NFL touchdown on Sunday as the club won for the fourth straight game. After a 2-7 start to the season, Washington has turned it around sits atop the NFC East at 6-7.
The second player chosen in the 2020 NFL Draft, oddsmakers are listing Young as the -180 chalk in the NFL DROY odds. It’s the second week in a row that Young is showing as the odds-on favorite. Young was at a betting line of -105 a week ago.
Carolina Panthers safety Jeremy Chinn remains in striking distance at +210. Tampa Bay Buccaneers safety Antoine Winfield (+650) is the only other with odds lower than +1900.
2020 NFL Defensive Rookie of the Year Odds
| Player (Team) | Odds |
|---|---|
| Chase Young (Washington) | -180 |
| Jeremy Chinn (Panthers) | +210 |
| Antoine Winfield Jr (Buccaneers) | +650 |
| Julian Blackmon (Colts) | +1900 |
| Patrick Queen (Ravens) | +2000 |
| Jaylon Johnson (Bears) | +3000 |
Odds as of Dec 15
Young has held forth as the chalk since the odds in this betting market were first opened on March 27th. His opening betting line was +325. It’s never lengthened further than +413 over the course of the year.
Mighty Chase Young
Late in the first half of Sunday’s 23-15 Washington win over the San Francisco 49ers, Niners quarterback Nick Mullens was sacked and fumbled. Young scooped up the loose football and rambled 47 yards to the house.
There wasn’t much that Young didn’t defend during the victory. The rookie from Ohio State made six tackles, including one tackle for loss.
Chase Young with the scoop and score!
🏈 (via @NFL) pic.twitter.com/ARsqNLhspI
— #RingerNFL (@ringernfl) December 13, 2020
He defended two passes. He registered two QB hits. Along with his fumble recovery TD, Young was also credited with a forced fumble and a sack.
For the season, Young shows 5.5 sacks, three forced fumbles and 24 QB pressures. ESPN lists him sixth in pass-rush win rate (24%). He regularly faces double teams but the first-year DE is a big part of Washington’s #6 ranked NFL defense.
Chinn Also a Playmaker
A second-round draft pick out of Southern Illinois, Chinn moved right into the starting lineup for the rebuilding Panthers. He finished second on the team with eight tackles in his NFL debut.
Chinn has registered no fewer than seven tackles in 10 games during the 2020 campaign. That’s including a season-high 13 tackles two weeks ago against the Minnesota Vikings.
Jeremy Chinn with back-to-back fumble return TDs 😳
(via @Panthers) pic.twitter.com/mDn1jLYmTM
— NFL on ESPN (@ESPNNFL) November 29, 2020
In the last two games, Chinn has forced two fumbles and recovered two fumbles. He’s also scored two TDs.
His first career NFL sack came Sunday on Denver Broncos QB Drew Lock. Chinn created a strip-sack. Defensive lineman Efe Obada scooped up the ball and ran 54 yards to the Denver three-yard line. That set up a Mike Davis TD run for the Panthers.
Jeremy Chinn somehow came out of the scrum with the football 😳 @ChinnJeremy2 @Panthers
📺 #CARvsMIN on CBS pic.twitter.com/izpxSpwxXA
— The Checkdown (@thecheckdown) November 29, 2020
One week earlier in the third quarter against the Vikings, Chinn scored a pair of TDs in a span of 18 seconds. He returned a fumble by Vikings QB Kirk Cousins 17 yards to the end zone.
On the next play from scrimmage, Minnesota running back Dalvin Cook fumbled while caught up in a pile of bodies. Chinn picked up the loose ball and went 28 yards for another score.
He’s the first defensive player in NFL history to score TDs on successive plays. Chinn is also just the third player in league history to record multiple fumble-return TDs in the same game.
It’s Young’s to Lose
No slight intended toward Chinn, who’s been impressive. Still, the circumstances give the edge to Young.
He’s living up to expectations, displaying an elite level of speed seldom seen in a defensive lineman. Perhaps more significantly, he’s making big plays in a playoff drive.
"You gotta lose 14-15 games to get a guy that looks like you."
Mike Tomlin knows it'd take a lot to be able to draft someone like Chase Young 😅
(via @NFLFilms) https://t.co/yIAX4A0rDG
— SportsCenter (@SportsCenter) December 9, 2020
Through no fault of Chinn, the Panthers are left to play out the string.
Chinn has taken his game to another level over the past two weeks. Young’s been bringing it all season long.
Pick: Chase Young (Washington Football Team) -180
An industry veteran, Bob literally taught the course on the history of sports at Elder College. He has worked as a Sports Columnist for Postmedia, appeared as a guest on several radio stations, was the Vice President of the Society For International Hockey Research in Ontario, and written 25 books.
