Category: PFF Grades

Steelers defender was second best LB over past two weeks, per PFF

Payton Wilson has emerged as a standout in the Steelers’ linebacker room, offering hope for the future of the team’s strong defense.

In a stacked Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker room that features the impressive run-thumping talents of Elandon Roberts and the do-it-all, well-rounded Patrick Queen, rookie Payton Wilson has shined the brightest over the past two weeks.

On 21 defensive snaps in Week 11 against the Baltimore Ravens and 32 snaps in Week 12 against the Cleveland Browns, Wilson has performed as the second-best linebacker in the entire NFL, according to PFF.

Wilson’s speed, agility, and play recognition make him an imposing force in run defense, but his true talents appear to lie in pass defense. Over the past two weeks, he allowed just three receptions for seven yards, and NFL QBs had a dismal average passer rating of 36.5 when targeting him.

The linebacker position has been an area of concern for the Pittsburgh Steelers ever since LB Ryan Shazier suffered h is career-ending spinal cord injury in 2017, and it is exciting to know the future of this strong Steelers defense can rely on the impressive LB room led by Roberts, Queen, and the emerging Wilson.

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Russell Wilson leads NFL QBs in one interesting statistic, per PFF

Pro Football Focus ranks Russell Wilson’s deep ball as the NFL’s most accurate. Can it push the Steelers past Baltimore in Week 11?

When in doubt, let Russ cook! Every week since the Pittsburgh Steelers made the polarizing decision to bench the 4-2 Justin Fields, current starting QB Russell Wilson has proved his deep ball to be a necessity for the Pittsburgh offense.

While Wilson will never match Fields’ athletic prowess with his legs, the infamous PFF has confirmed that Wilson’s deep ball is the most accurate in the NFL.

Hitting on over 50 percent of these deep throws, his ‘moon ball’ has truly transformed the offense as a whole, and begs the question: would the Pittsburgh Steelers currently be 9-0 if Wilson had started every contest this season?

Wilson’s deep ball should be on full display against the Ravens in Week 11, as the Steelers’ offense faces one of the worst statistical defensive units against the pass.

Against Baltimore on November 17th at 1:00 PM EST, Wilson has the opportunity to do what Fields couldn’t do with Pittsburgh: go 4-0 through his first four starts with the team.

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PFF puts a number on Tristan Wirfs’ impact on the Bucs pass game

Thanks to PFF, we can quantify just how good Tristan Wirfs is with the various things they can track.

Tristan Wirfs has been the best player on the Buccaneers since Tom Brady retired at the end of the 2022 season. Wirfs was drafted in the 2020 NFL Draft and immediately emerged as one of the best offensive tackles in the NFL.

Thanks to PFF, we can quantify just how good he is with the various things they can track.

Pro Football Focus credits Tristan Wirfs with the lowest pressure allowed of any offensive tackle in the NFL. They have him allowing pressures on just 1.6% of his pass-blocking reps on the year, the next closest being 1.8% from Lane Johnson on the Philadelphia Eagles.

Wirfs has long been a favorite of PFF graders, earning several high grades in his career. His career run-blocking grade is 67.7, and his pass-blocking grade is a whopping 92.5, which is rare for them to give out.

They also tracked over 3,518 pass-blocking snaps in his career and only have him on the hook for 12 sacks in his career.

Vita Vea’s pass rush ability ranks among the best in the NFL in 2024

Vita Vea has stepped up and become a bonafide game-wrecker for the Bucs’ defense, especially in the pass rush game. 

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers are having some inconsistent play out of their edge rushers this year. Joe Tyron-Shoyika and Yaya Diaby have flashed in moments, but they haven’t had a chance to find much consistent success.

In their absence, Vita Vea has stepped up and become a bonafide game-wrecker for the Bucs’ defense, especially in the pass rush game.

Vea is tied for second among interior defensive linemen with five sacks on the year. His career high is 6.5, and he is on pace for 7.5 with seven games left to play.

The pass rush has been tremendous for the defensive front seven of the Bucs. They have not been able to generate consistent pass-rush ability, but Vea has remained a constant.

Outside of his work rushing the passer, he has also been getting the backfield to defend the run with 31 tackles, seven quarterback hits, and a career-high eight tackles for loss.

Steelers’ safety is ranked 1st by PFF in run defense

Steelers’ safety DeShon Elliott has been great through seven games of football. PFF has recognized him as the best run defending safety.

Pro Football Focus has decided to give Pittsburgh Steelers safety DeShon Elliott his flowers. The former Raven was acquired in free agency by Pittsburgh during the 2024 offseason and has made his presence felt immediately. While Steelers free safety Minkah Fitzpatrick hasn’t had his usual success this season, struggling to record any splash plays, Elliott has played at an elite level thus far. 

PFF has an interesting reputation in Pittsburgh, as the polarizing grades of Steelers players have sometimes left a lot to be desired. However, Elliott is currently being graded by the organization as the best safety in the 2024 NFL season against the run. 

While many were aware of the talent Elliott possessed, no one could have truly predicted the impact the Pittsburgh strong safety would make when he signed his two-year, $6.0 million dollar contract back in March.

Elliott is a key component to this Steelers’ defense and why it has played at such an elite level in 2024, and will look to continue his dominance against the run when his team takes on the NY Giants in Monday Night Football, on October 28th at 8:15 PM EST.

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PFF Grades: Best and worst from Vikings Week 7 loss to the Lions

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light. …

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light.

Thanks to PFF, we will always have an extra set of eyes to examine the football game.

The team’s loss to the Lions led to the team realizing they are, in fact, human. They showed resiliency and a drive to fight back as they made a defensive play to get the lead late in the fourth quarter. This time, more than most this year, the PFF grades are going to be very interesting.

Here are the best and worst from the PFF grades for the Vikings’ win over the New York Jets.

RB Aaron Jones 77.9

QB Sam Darnold 76.4

WR Justin Jefferson 72.2

WR Jalen Nailor 69.5

G Blake Brandel 67.4

G Ed Ingram 38

RB Ty Chandler 45.7

TE Johnny Mundt 50.8

WR Jordan Addison 55.1

TE Robert Tonyan 55.4

Aaron Jones 75.7

Sam Darnold 67.7

Ty Chandler 52.5

TE Josh Oliver 75.2

C Garrett Bradbury 69.6

G Blake Brandel 61.4

WR Jordan Addison 60.6

WR Brandon Powell 60

TE Johnny Mundt 37

G Ed Ingram 43.7

OT Brian O’Neill 49.6

WR Jalen Nailor 52.8

OT Christian Darrisaw 56.6

OT Christian Darrisaw 85.8

FB C.J. Ham 84.1

OT Brian O’Neill 78.1

TE Josh Oliver 75.9

G Blake Brandel 74.9

TE Johnny Mundt 21.6

RB Ty Chandler 25.1

C Garrett Bradbury 37.6

G Ed Ingram 64.8

RB Aaron Jones 70.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 92.1

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 80.2

SAF Joshua Metellus 73.5

DL Taki Taimani 71.7

CB Shaq Griffin 70.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 28

SAF Camryn Bynum 34.9

Edge Dallas Turner 41.2

SAF Harrison Smith 43.2

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 47

SAF Joshua Metellus 90.5

CB Byron Murphy Jr. 74.9

DL Jerry Tillery 69.7

CB Shaq Griffin 69.2

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 68.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 31

SAF Camryn Bynum 40.7

DL Harrison Phillips 45.7

DL Jonathan Bullard 51.2

SAF Harrison Smith 52.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 93.7

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 84.5

SAF Joshua Metellus 74.9

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 69.9

DL Jonathan Bullard 66

DL Pat Jones II 50.4

DL Harrison Phillips 51.5

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 55.8

Edge Dallas Turner 56.5

DL Jerry Tillery 57.1

LB Andrew Van Ginkel 89.2

DL Harrison Phillips 75.4

Shaq Griffin 66.2

Edge Jonathan Greenard 61.7

DL Pat Jones II 61.4

LB Ivan Pace Jr. 29.4

SAF Camryn Bynum 43.8

LB Kamu Grugier-Hill 45.4

SAF Harrison Smith 47.3

SAF Joshua Metellus 48.3

PFF Grades: Best and worst from Bucs Week 3 loss to the Broncos

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light. …

The NFL season will sometimes show us what we want to see from players; other times, we may see something bad when it isn’t there. For fans and media, there has to be a way to check and balance things to avoid favoritism or bias in a negative light.

Thanks to PFF, we will always have an extra set of eyes to examine the football game.

There were few high grades or performances to discuss in Week 3 for the Bucs. They took a winless Denver Broncos team for granted, and as a result, they left the stadium on Sunday with their first loss of the season. The PFF grades are going to be very interesting for this week.

Here are the best and worst from the PFF grades for the Bucs’ win loss to the Denver Broncos.

OT Tristan Wirfs 85.2

RB Bucky Irving 78.6

WR Chris Godwin 74.6

C Graham Barton 74.3

G Cody Mauch 67.1

G Ben Bredeson 44.7

WR Jalen McMillan 51.5

TE Payne Durham 54.5

WR Sterling Shepard 55.7

RB Sean Tucker 57.7

Bucky Irving 76.8

Sean Tucker 59

Rachaad White 54

OT Tristan Wirfs 88.9

C Graham Barton 80.9

WR Mike Evans 77.9

G Cody Mauch 71.2

TE Cade Otton 66.2

OT Justin Skule 48.4

TE Payne Durham 56.3

WR Chris Godwin 58.3

TE Ko Kieft 59.2

C Robert Hainsey 59.4

OT Tristan Wirfs 78.8

TE Cade Otton 70

OT Justin Skule 69.1

C Graham Barton 59.1

G Cody Mauch 53.4

G Ben Bredeson 18.1

RB Bucky Irving 48

RB Rachaad White 50.3

CB Zyon McCollum 90.8

CB Tykee Smith 85

Edge Mike Greene 77.9

SAF Christian Izien 73.1

LB SirVocea Dennis 71.1

LB K.J. Britt 29.2

DL William Gholston 44.9

DL Greg Gaines 53.7

DL Logan Hall 53.9

DL C.J. Brewer 54.2

DB Tykee Smith 86.2

LB SirVocea Dennis 78.4

CB Zyon McCollum 78.3

CB Jamel Dean 75.7

DL Mike Greene 74.8

LB K.J. Britt 38.5

DL William Gholston 41.5

SAF Jordan Whitehead 44.8

SAF Christian Izien 52.6

DL Anthony Nelson 52.9

DL Anthony Nelson 71.9

Edge Yaya Diaby 66.2

DL Mike Greene 64.4

DL William Gholston 63.4

DL C.J. Brewer 62.8

LB SirVocea Dennis 49

DL Greg Gaines 49.9

LB Lavonte David 50.6

SAF Christian Izien 51.6

DL Logan Hall 51.7

CB Zyon McCollum 89.8

CB Tykee Smith 82.4

SAF Christian Izien 76.4

SAF Jordan Whitehead 75.4

LB SirVocea Dennis 66.2

LB K.J. Britt 36.1

CB Jamel Dean 52

DL Greg Gaines 60

DL C.J. Brewer 60

DL Logan Hall 60

Vikings’ Pat Jones II among highest graded pass-rushers by PFF

Pro Football Focus has the Vikings’ Edge rusher as one of the top players following Minnesota’s big win over the Niners.

After the Vikings signed Andrew Van Ginkel, Jonathan Greenard, and drafted Dallas Turner, some of the other Minnesota pass rushers were almost viewed as afterthoughts. But Patrick Jones II, the former Pittsburgh Panther, had something to say about that.

Jones II, who leads the team with four sacks, had a five-tackle and two-sack performance against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday.

The Vikings defeated the defending NFC Champions on Sunday, 23-17. The Minnesota defense was dominant in the win against the 49ers. Jones II was clearly a key cog in how the Vikings got the job done.

Following the game, Pro Football Focus shared the top Edge defenders from Week 2. Jones II was the seventh-best Edge defender per PFF’s grading system. Jones II graded out with an 88.6 defensive grade following the win.

If he can continue his great play, the Vikings have four Edge rushers they could rotate in and out while not missing a beat.

Four Vikings make PFF’s All-Rookie preseason team

They recently published their All-Rookie team selections, and the Minnesota Vikings were heavily represented. 

The 2024 NFL preseason has wrapped up, allowing for some reflection now as we are just a week away from the regular season kicking off. Pro Football Focus is one of the many sites and outlets offering some reflection. They recently published their All-Rookie team selections, and the Minnesota Vikings were heavily represented.

Four Vikings made the list for PFF, three of whom were undrafted free agents.

The four players who made the cut were kicker Will Reichard, linebacker Dallas Gant, cornerback Dwight McGlothern, and defensive lineman Taki Taimani. All four proved pivotal to the team’s success during the preseason, and with three of them being UDFAs, this speaks to the front office.

The Vikings drafted kicker Will Reichard, which surprised some people, but for a franchise that has had so much turmoil at the position, the gamble has paid off. As for the other three defensive coordinator Brian Flores has been masterful in using all three dynamically and has maximized their skillset.

We can expect them all to find further success when their season kicks off in 10 days against the Giants.

Justin Jefferson league’s fourth-best receiver against zone coverage in 2023

Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson was dominant against zone coverage in 2023 coming in as PFF’s fourth-rated WR against zone.

The 2023 season for the Minnesota Vikings was frustrating in many ways, particularly for star wide receiver Justin Jefferson. Jefferson missed several games due to injury, and when he came back from injury, he came back to a team missing its top quarterback. Add to that a frustrating contract situation, and 2023 wasn’t a great year for the star receiver.

Still, Jefferson put up some great performances over the course of the year. Despite missing several games, Jefferson still topped 1,000 yards on the season and presented opposing defensive coordinators with matchup nightmares, particularly against zone coverage.

According to the team at PFF, Jefferson was the fourth-best wide receiver in the NFL last season against zone defenses, behind the Miami Dolphins’ duo of Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle and fellow NFC North receiver Amon-Ra St. Brown.

Jefferson took advantage of soft coverages and found the clearings for whoever was throwing him the ball last season, and he did so at a high rate. Over the course of the season, Jefferson had 43 receptions against zone coverage for 641 of his 1,074 yards and three of his five touchdowns.

He also made five contested catches against zone coverage and forced five missed tackles, which resulted in his quarterbacks earning a 118.3 passer rating when targeting Jefferson against the coverage.

Now, with an off-season to fully recover from the injuries and with a new contract making him the highest-paid non-quarterback in league history, Jefferson is likely to be just as effective — if not even more so — against zone coverages in 2024. The question is, will Sam Darnold and/or J.J. McCarthy be able to take advantage?