DaRon Bland Emerging as Contender for NFL DPOY
DaRon Bland Stats: Cowboys CB Notches Record Sixth Pick-6
DaRon Bland
DaRon Bland
Dallas Cowboys26
24 years old (7-12-99)
6’0″
Modesto, Calif., USA
Cornerback
2022 / Round: 5 / Pick: 167
Is DaRon Bland a legitimate candidate for NFL Defensive Player of the Year? With each passing week, the Dallas Cowboys cornerback continues to make a strong case for that coveted award.
Bland took over the NFL lead in interceptions in the Cowboys’ latest win — and set a record to boot.
Just how unique a season is Bland having? The numbers are telling. Here’s a breakdown of DaRon Bland’s stats.
DaRon Bland Stats
In Dallas’ 45-10 rout of Washington on Thanksgiving, DaRon Bland set an NFL record with his fifth interception return for a touchdown this season. The second-year cornerback out of Fresno State surpassed a mark previously shared by Eric Allen (1993), Ken Houston (1971), and Jim Kearney (1972), who each had four.
Bland’s record-setting pick-6 came after he jumped an out pass from Washington’s Sam Howell. Bland was nearly brought down by Howell during the return but managed to elude tackles and reach paydirt for a 63-yard score to cap the scoring with 4:39 remaining.
The Dallas Cowboys, 13-point favorites, covered the spread for the third straight game. They also improved to 5-0 at home and 8-3 overall.
Bland now has an NFL-high seven interceptions this season and 12 over his first 28 regular-season games as a pro. Baltimore’s Geno Stone is next in line this season with six. Bland also has 48 tackles (36 solo) and 13 passes defended.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys rank in the top half of the league with 17 takeaways. Five different players have intercepted at least one pass. They’re also third in total defense, holding opponents to an average of 276.3 yards per game.
Odds Outlook
After entrenching himself in the record books, Bland has emerged as a serious contender for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. He’s climbed from off the board at the beginning of the season to +1200 as of Tuesday. He has the fourth-best NFL odds behind Cleveland’s Myles Garrett (+140), Dallas’ Micah Parsons (+180), and Pittsburgh’s T.J. Watt (+250).
Pass rushers tend to dominate this award. Eleven of the last 12 winners have been either defensive linemen or linebackers, with the exception of cornerback Stephon Gilmore in 2019. Still, Bland’s impact has been immeasurable. His NFL defense stats say as much.
Bland has scored more times on defense than any other team this season. His five touchdowns are equal to star offensive players such as Kansas City‘s Travis Kelce, San Francisco’s George Kittle and New York’s Saquon Barkley. The only Cowboy with more touchdowns is wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, with seven.
In the process, Dallas has maintained its case as a legitimate contender. The Cowboys are priced +425 to reach Super Bowl LVIII, one of four NFC teams with better than 7/1 odds, and +900 to win it all. That’s tied for the fifth-highest odds.
Those odds will likely continue to grow, especially if Dallas can take care of business the next two weeks at home against Seattle and Philadelphia. The Cowboys own the NFL’s best point differential at plus-162 and are the only team besides San Francisco to rank top 5 both offensively and defensively.
Projected for 9.5 regular-season wins, the Cowboys are close to a lock to clear that total despite a tough remaining NFL schedule that includes games at Buffalo and Miami. Five of the Cowboys’ last six opponents currently have a record of .500 or better.
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