Following the Indianapolis Colts’ third consecutive loss, this time to the Buffalo Bills, Pro Football Focus has had the opportunity to review the tape and hand out individual player grades.
So, which members of this Colts team fared the best in Week 10, and who struggled, according to PFF’s metrics?
But as is the norm here, I always want to add the caveat that when discussing PFF’s grading system, it is not the be-all-end-all in player evaluation. It is one metric out of many that are out there and as you’ll see, there isn’t always clarity around how PFF got to the final grade they handed out.
Here is a look at PFF’s grading system to provide some context behind the numbers:
90.0+: Elite
80-89.9: High quality
70-79.9: Good
60-69.9: Above average
50-59.9: Average
40-49.9: Below average
39.9 or less: Poor
Below you will find the three Colts’ players that received the lowest marks from Sunday’s game. For a more optimistic approach, you can find the highest-graded defenders here and the highest-graded players on offense, click here.
DT Adetomiwa Adebawore
PFF grade: 41.1
Adebawore played just seven snaps in this game and didn’t record any pressures or tackles in the run game. I’m sure that contributed to his overall grade, but I have to think there was something else that PFF wasn’t a fan of that led to the low grade–although what specifically that might be I’m not sure of.
OT Braden Smith
PFF grade: 45.6
PFF’s metric did grade Smith out well in the run game. However, pass protection is what lowered his overall grade. Smith was penalized twice and allowed two pressures but no sacks in 42 pass-blocking snaps. Those pressure numbers on their own don’t seem worthy of such a low grade, so perhaps it was the penalties or something else that carried a lot of weight in PFF’s grading.
CB Jaylon Jones
PFF grade: 46.8
Jones was in on four total tackles but it was his coverage grade that brought down his overall grade. According to PFF’s metrics, Jones allowed four receptions on four targets for 75 yards or 18.8 yards per catch. He was also penalized once.