Tyrann Mathieu played 1,263 snaps in all 16 games and could be comeback POY

TEMPE, Ariz. -- Tyrann Mathieu accomplished something this past season he had yet to do in his first four years with the Arizona Cardinals.

He played in all 16 games. Impressive, yes, but what's even more so is that he played nearly every defensive snap of every game. And it’s given Mathieu a strong argument to be named the NFL’s Comeback Player of the Year.

Mathieu will surely have stiff competition. New England Patriots tight end Rob Gronkowski, Seattle Seahawks safety Earl Thomas, Carolina Panthers linebacker Luke Kuechly and Los Angeles Chargers wide receiver Keenan Allen all have compelling cases, as well.

But when Mathieu’s season is looked at from a big-picture perspective, playing in every game is just as or more impressive.

Mathieu played 1,056 defensive snaps in 2017, which equaled 99.4 percent of the Cardinals’ total defensive snaps. When combined with 207 special-teams snaps, Mathieu played 1,263 total snaps this season, the most in the NFL. And the most he’s played in a season by more than 250.

Mathieu’s case for Comeback Player of the Year stems from this stat: He played just 597 snaps in 2016, a year after tearing his right ACL in Week 15, after playing 999 snaps. But, like he did in 2013 and 2015, Mathieu finished 2016 on injured reserve. That wasn’t the case in 2017.

Mathieu was targeted 64 times and allowed 47 catches this season for 455 yards and just one touchdown, according to Pro Football Focus. He also had two interceptions and seven passes defended, to complement his one sack, 74 tackles -- six for a loss -- and four quarterback hits. Although Mathieu didn’t have the “splash” plays he did in 2015, when he was considered a contender for defensive player of the year, he was impactful this past season nonetheless.

Mathieu’s stiffest competition will come from Allen, who missed part of 2015 with a kidney injury and the last 15 games of 2016 with an ACL injury. He returned this season to play in all 16 games while finishing fourth in the NFL with 102 receptions, third in receiving yards with 1,393 and fifth in targets with 153.

Gronkowski turned in a productive season while playing 14 games, compared with eight last season due to a barrage of injuries. He finished 2017 with 1,084 yards -- 10^th best in the NFL -- on 69 catches in 104 targets.

Thomas’ and Kuechly’s cases aren’t as strong as the others because they played in 11 and 10 games, respectively, in 2016. Thomas returned this season to play 881 snaps in 14 games. He had two interceptions, three pass breakups, three passes defensed along with 88 tackles. Kuechly finished the season having played 15 games. He had 125 tackles -- 11^th most in the league -- along with 1.5 sacks, three interceptions, three pass breakups and three passes defensed. Thomas and Kuechly each had a defensive touchdown.

Even if Mathieu doesn’t win Comeback Player of the Year, the fact that he played 99.4 percent of the snaps this season in all 16 games will be a foundation for him to build on going into a crucial 2018 season.