Tag: Grade

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes earned exceptional PFF grade for performance vs. Dolphins

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was PFF’s third-highest graded quarterback in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Patrick Mahomes had an up-and-down regular season with the Kansas City Chiefs in 2023 but got off to an excellent start in the playoffs by beating the Miami Dolphins in a brutally cold Wild Card matchup at Arrowhead Stadium.

The reigning MVP got Kansas City’s offense in gear by throwing for 262 yards and a touchdown, but perhaps the most impressive part of his outstanding performance was the 42 rushing yards he accumulated.

For his efforts against Miami, Mahomes earned an 88.0 grade from Pro Football Focus, which tied for third place among quarterbacks in the Wild Card round of the playoffs.

Coincidentally, Mahomes’ running mate in the third spot was Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen, who the Chiefs will visit in Orchard Park, New York this weekend.

Kansas City’s gritty win against the Dolphins was a masterclass in toughness, tenacity, and effort. With another difficult matchup on the horizon, the Chiefs will need Mahomes to put together an equally gritty performance to get Kansas City into the AFC Championship game later in January.

Chiefs Joe Thuney ended regular season as NFL’s best pass blocking guard

#Chiefs lineman Joe Thuney ended the 2023 regular season as the NFL’s best pass-blocking guard, according to Pro Football Focus.

The play of the Kansas City Chiefs’ offensive line has been crucial to Patrick Mahomes’ success in recent years, and the efforts of one lineman, in particular, have garnered some serious attention from the experts at Pro Football Focus.

Veteran guard Joe Thuney ended the 2023 regular season with the best pass-blocking grade of any player at his position in the NFL, according to the analytics company.

Thuney’s exceptional prowess up front has been a boon for the Chiefs, and without his presence, Kansas City’s front-five wouldn’t be nearly as dominant.

The savvy that Thuney has shown throughout the Chiefs’ 17 regular season games often goes unnoticed, but with the playoffs just days away, his remarkable talent in the trenches will be on full display to a national audience.

Expect Thuney to have a field day in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs as he fends off the Miami Dolphins’ depleted pass rush.

PFF’s highest graded offensive players in the 2023 College Football Playoffs

Which offensive players will have the biggest impact in CFP semi-final games?

In the 10 years of the four-team College Football Playoffs, we’ve never had a field more competitive than in 2023. The Alabama Crimson Tide are the only of the four participants this season to have ever won a Playoff game with Michigan being 0-2, Washington 0-1 and Texas having no prior trips.

The main reason that all of these teams have been successful is because of the guys playing the quarterback position. PFF College ranked the top ten offensive players in this year’s Playoffs, and the top three were all quarterbacks. Longhorns QB Quinn Ewers entered the list at No. 8.

As for the Crimson Tide, they have three players ranked in the top ten. Jalen Milroe is ranked at No. 3, Jermaine Burton No. 8 and JC Latham No. 10. Interestingly, every team has three players on the list except Texas whose lone representative is Ewers.

With Michigan’s Blake Corum the lone runningback on the list, it will be a very pass-happy New Year’s day. However, I expect Jalen Milroe’s legs to be the biggest difference X-factor between all four teams. I’m excited to see what the Alabama coaching staff has up their sleeve.

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Lions Brian Branch graded as highest rookie DB in Week 16

PFF grades Brain Branch as the top rookie DB from Week 16 of the NFL season

A lot of people, myself included, were shocked when former Alabama DB [autotag]Brian Branch[/autotag] fell to the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft. The Lions finally took Branch off the board with the No. 45 overall pick, where he has been outstanding for them as a rookie. In 13 games, Branch has totaled 69 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, three interceptions and 10 passes broken up.

It had been 30 yards since the Detroit Lions had last won the NFC North, but they finally snapped the streak with a division-clinching win over Minnesota on Sunday. Branch and the Lions’ defense have been a massive factor in finally getting back to the top of the division despite all of the attention that goes to Detroit’s high-flying offense.

Branch was exceptional on Sunday as he tallied six tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, an interception and two passes broken up. For his remarkable efforts, PFF graded Branch as the highest rookie DB in Week 16. It is already beginning to look like Branch will be a corner stone piece for Dan Campbel’s defense for years to come.

Contact/Follow us @RollTideWire on Twitter, and like our page on Facebook to follow ongoing coverage of Alabama news, notes and opinion. You can also follow Sam Murphy on Twitter @SamMurphy02.

Patrick Mahomes has earned Chiefs’ highest PFF grade in 2023

Patrick Mahomes has earned the #Chiefs’ highest PFF grade for the 2023 season.

Patrick Mahomes has dazzled fans with his ability to make the impossible happen on a regular basis, and while the Kansas City Chiefs seem to have taken a step back in 2023, his outstanding play has remained a constant.

Through 14 games, Mahomes has Kansas City’s highest composite grade from Pro Football Focus, boasting an impressive 90.1 mark for his efforts this season.

While the reigning MVP has faced his share of adversity in 2023, his steady presence has been one of the only things that the Chiefs can count on offensively, and his play is trending up ahead of January’s AFC playoffs.

His team-leading PFF grade is a reflection of what he means to Kansas City. He is the Chiefs’ unquestioned leader, and even as his teammates on Kansas City’s offense seem to falter every week, Mahomes is always close behind to pick up their slack.

Expect him to put together a particularly special performance against the Las Vegas Raiders on Christmas day to clinch the Chiefs a spot in the playoffs.

Chiefs squandered stellar showing by L’Jarius Sneed in loss vs. Bills

#Chiefs DB L’Jarius Sneed was Pro Football Focus’ highest graded cornerback in Week 14.

The Kansas City Chiefs’ loss to the Buffalo Bills on Sunday dealt a crushing blow to their chances of securing the AFC’s No. 1 playoff seed in January and was all the more baffling after Pro Football Focus released grades for each team’s performance.

Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed, a Chiefs mainstay, earned the best grade of any player at the cornerback position in Week 14. Though his efforts were for naught in the end, Sneed’s showing against Buffalo is sure to go down as one of the best in his career.

Sneed and the rest of Kansas City’s secondary held Bills quarterback Josh Allen to just 233 yards passing, and kept All-Pro wide receiver Stefon Diggs at bay in all four quarters.

Expect the Chiefs’ defense to play with an extra chip on its shoulder against the New England Patriots after their outstanding efforts at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 14 were squandered by Kansas City’s offensive ineptitude.

Chiefs DB Trent McDuffie leads Kansas City’s defense with 85.0 PFF grade

Trent McDuffie is the #Chiefs’ highest-graded defender entering Week 13, according to Pro Football Focus.

Trent McDuffie has been the Kansas City Chiefs’ most consistent defender through 11 games in 2023 and seems to be on the fast track to stardom entering the home stretch of the team’s regular season.

According to Pro Football Focus, McDuffie has earned an 85.0 grade for his efforts this year, which is the highest of any Chiefs defender and ranks third among all second-year players.

There remains plenty of work to be done if Kansas City’s defense intends to lift the Chiefs to a second-consecutive Super Bowl victory, but with McDuffie’s help in the secondary, it seems anything is possible.

His ability to force fumbles, play sticky coverage, and make difficult tackles with regularity has been a boon for coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who has led a full-scale reinvention of Kansas City’s defensive identity.

Expect McDuffie to make his presence felt in Week 13 when the Chiefs travel to Lambeau Field to face the Green Bay Packers on Sunday Night Football.

Chiefs Joe Thuney is best pass blocking guard in NFL, according to PFF

#Chiefs OL Joe Thuney is the best pass-blocking guard in the NFL, accoring to Pro Football Focus.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line has been one of the best units on the team through nine games. Their play has been particularly exceptional on the interior, as evidenced by veteran guard Joe Thuney’s outstanding 81.3 pass-blocking grade, which stands alone as the best among players at his position in the NFL.

Thuney is one of the Chiefs’ highest-paid players and has been worth every penny of Kansas City’s hefty investment in him, even while the team’s offense continues to find its stride through the second part of its 2023 schedule.

Paired with Trey Smith and Creed Humphrey in the middle of the Chiefs’ line, Thuney has a target on his back every week as opposing pass rushers attempt to harass reigning MVP Patrick Mahomes in the pocket.

Fans should expect Thuney to keep up his exceptional run in pass protection when Kansas City plays the Philadelphia Eagles at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 11.

Willie Gay Jr. earned highest PFF grade during Chiefs’ Week 9 win vs. Dolphins

Willie Gay Jr. earned the highest PFF grade of any #Chiefs player during Kansas City’s Week 9 win over the #Dolphins.

The Kansas City Chiefs defense stood its ground against the Miami Dolphins in Week 9 and was led by linebacker Willie Gay Jr. who received the highest marks on the team for his performance in the resounding victory.

Gay received a stellar 92.0 grade for his efforts against Miami, which led all linebackers in the NFL during Week 9.

With a Monday night game left to play before the week is technically over, it isn’t out of the question that a Los Angeles Chargers or New York Jets defender may eclipse him, though it would take a truly herculean effort.

Gay’s exceptional play was a welcome sign for the Chiefs’ linebacking corps, which is without standout Nick Bolton for the foreseeable future as he recovers from an injury sustained earlier in the season.

If games like the one he put together against Miami become routine for Gay, Pro Bowl honors should be expected for him by the end of Kansas City’s 2023 campaign.

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Travis Kelce grades out as best TE in NFL, according to PFF

Travis Kelce grades out as the NFL’s best tight end, according to Pro Football Focus.

While Travis Kelce’s romance with Taylor Swift has grabbed more headlines than any other story this season, the Kansas City Chiefs tight end is making moves on the field that have earned him the best grade in the NFL at his position, according to Pro Football Focus.

Kelce’s spectacular 88.7 grade wasn’t earned by accident. In a year where the Chiefs’ offense has been frustratingly dysfunctional, Kelce’s presence has been one of the only things that the team can rely on week in and week out.

Patrick Mahomes deserves some amount of credit here, too, but Kelce seems to have almost singlehandedly carried Kansas City’s passing game on his back.

Entering the Chiefs’ Week 9 tilt against the Miami Dolphins in Frankfurt, Germany, Kelce leads Kansas City in receptions, receiving yards, touchdowns, and targets. He figures to play a key role in each of the Chiefs’ remaining games this season and should have no issues remaining the highest-graded tight end in the league if he can continue producing at the rate he has established through the 2023 season’s first eight weeks.